Lumière
by illarione
Summary: My drug-dealer boyfriend was stealing from Edward Masen and I was caught in between.
1. Chapter 1

**_"If we don't leave town now. We're never gonna get out of here alive."_**

 ** _-Paris, Lana_**

* * *

 _Everything was going to be fine._

 _Don't overthink it, Bella._

 _Nothing was going to happen._

I repeatedly played the magic words in my head, taking a deep breath.

All I needed to do was just going over that old abandoned house. Give them the money and get the goodies. That simple. I watched Jacob do it hundreds times and none of those went wrong. Hell, everyone smiled and laughed as long as I could remember. So this couldn't be bad. No, this was easy. As the girlfriend of drug dealer for years, I should have used to it.

But, fuck.

Why in the hell I stupidly said yes when Jacob called to tell that he had last minute business matters to attend and wanted me to handle this dealing? I didn't even have the gun to protect myself for God's sake. And I was alone. What if something unfortunate happened to me?

I paced back and forth. Watching the night get darker and the house before me get scarier. I glanced at the watch on my wrist. I was already ten minutes late. And if I didn't approach them right now, they definitely would be pissed off.

 _Calm the fuck down, Bella._

 _I could do this. I had to._

I quickly brushed off the fear and walked warily inside the house before I could change my mind. The duffel bag on my shoulder felt heavier as I sank deeper, lost in the barely there light and tripped over the debris on the floor. I braced myself when I saw two shadows standing in the middle of the room, waiting impatiently. They had their guns ready by the time I came into their sights. The hair on my neck stood.

 _Calm down, bitch, you could do this_.

"I'm here for Jacob." I told them, loud enough for them to hear. I hoped they didn't catch that little tremble in my voice. One of the men, the blond one, cocked his head to the side, inspecting me from my lilac grayish hair to the faux Prada boots I was wearing.

"Why? Where is he?" he asked, careful and amused at the same time. No one lowered their guns, though.

"He said he had other matters." I replied, gripping the strap of my bag tighter to hide my nervousness.

"Who are you anyway?"

"His err…girlfriend."

"Coward." The other man scowled and I almost jumped because of that. This one had a short dark hair and hulk-sized body. I was afraid looking at him alone. Jacob would pay me big for this.

"Well? Hurry, we don't have much time." The blond haired man gestured me to hand him my duffel bag. I did it without being asked twice, almost tripped in the process. That shit would be so embarrassing. They had another duffel bag ready for me which was of course filled with illegal drugs. "Count it, Em." The blond said.

I swallowed hard. My feet were itching to leave this place.

Em did as the blond told, counting the cash inside while I was just standing there awkwardly. I swore to God I would never handle this kind of dealing again. Not without Jacob himself at least. Because as much as I was aware of the illegal stuffs Jacob had been doing for life, I still tried my best to not get involved deeper to this kind of business.

"This is all you got?" Em eyed me suspiciously. I had to gulp loudly at that. Shit, I smelled something bad was going to happen.

"Y-yes." I nodded. Nothing but honesty in my voice.

"Is it a joke or something? Because it should be five grand instead of two." Em furrowed his brows. I could sense his anger.

Fuck.

How in the hell I was supposed to know that? I was just told to bring the money and get the goodies. I didn't know the amount of money I should bring. Hell, I didn't even know who the hell I was dealing with. Jacob was dead meat. I would fucking kill him as soon as I was home.

It was….if they let me.

"The fucker has the guts." The blond tsked, curling his lips in sarcastic smile. I had the need to defend myself.

"I swear I don't know. I was just told to bring thi—"

"Let me tell you, babe, it's not the first time he steals from us." His eyes shot me a disapproved glare. The tone was intimidating I almost took a step back. "And I'm not sure if our boss can tolerate this shit any longer."

"We should bring her, Jas." Em chimed in. Like there was no other option available. Damn it, this was bad.

"N-no, wait! Why in the hell do I become involved with this shit? It's between you and him." I pointed out. It wasn't fair. That was all Jacob's doing, so he was the one who had the responsibility, not me.

"Oh? Why are you here, doing his dirty job, by the way?" Jas asked back calmly. Well, I didn't have the answer for that without humiliating myself. We could blame it to my own stupidity, of course.

"I-I—"

"Sorry, but you have to come with us." Em cut in, making his way towards me. And before I could move away, he hit me with the back of his gun, sending me straight to the darkness.

* * *

The moment I gained my consciousness, the throbbing pain assaulted my head mercilessly, reminding me what caused it at the first place. Or who. Fucking hulk. I could have died of that hit alone, didn't he know that?

I winced at the pain as I tried to sit up on this worn couch. The room was spinning around me. Freaking epic.

Not long after that, maybe a minute or two, that hulk came into the room, grinning like a fool. "About time." He greeted as he found me awake. Not that friendly kind of greetings, though. It was suspicious, even. "Just want to tell you that our boss is on his way. Be ready."

I was sick to my stomach. Panic started to creep in.

"I-I have to call Jacob. There has to be some fucking mista—"

"No need. We've already done that." He smirked, showing me my phone in his hand. How on the earth he got that? "And the coward boyfriend of yours suddenly can't be reached right now."

Shit, what the hell Jacob was thinking? Where the fuck was he? I mean, seriously, did he do this shit on purpose? What in the ever loving fuck was going on here?

My train of thoughts was interrupted by Jas, who barged into the room with the look that was far from pleased. Damn, he clearly looked pissed. The exact opposite of his hulk friend. I could tell something was bothering his head.

"Bad fucking news, Em. Jamie got last minute call. Edward will be here instead." He said.

"Fuck." Hulk cursed.

Their expression was priceless. I would have laughed my ass off watching their exchange glances. But I knew better. If the mention of this name could make them this uncomfortable, could you imagine how I was? This shit only doubled my fear.

Jas approached me in long strides, leveling his eyes to mine as soon as he was in front of me.

"Don't oppose him, do you hear me?" I nodded even though I was confused as hell. Who was this Edward guy? What about him that made them so anxious waiting his arrival? "Just do as he says. If he asks questions, answer. Hell, if he wants you to kiss his feet, just fucking do it."

Was he serious?

"And this is not a fucking bluff, okay?" hulk chimed in. No trace of joke on his face. I wondered why someone like him—with all of those muscles and stuff—could be this cautious because of one man named Edward. He continued, "He will do _anything_ without hesitation. Don't test his patience."

What did I get myself into?

* * *

 **Hope you like it xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**_"Because I'm pretty when I cry."_**

 ** _-Pretty When You Cry, Lana_**

* * *

I watched it all. All of mix reactions. The second this Edward guy stepped into the room, both of these men straightened their spines, putting on the serious game look on their faces. I could feel how the nervousness radiated around them. Well, it was so damn obvious. And infectious.

This Edward turned out to be a tall man, a bit of muscular, but not too much like Em, and younger that I had imagined. To be honest I kind of expected him to be fifty something years old with thick mustache and fat belly. Not the clean-shaved face and toned abdomen. And definitely, not strikingly good looking. By his looks, I knew his age couldn't be older than thirty-five.

Edward was wearing a black coat over a very nice suit with no tie. Tom Ford? Calvin Klein? Armani? I didn't know. One thing I knew for sure was it was designer brand. That piece didn't look low-priced at all.

His hair was a mix of brown and red, unruly, but in attractive way. His face was handsome and perfect, no flaw. Like he was born to charm people. Only now it seemed tired and bored. He was still intimidating, though. The charisma he carried was extremely strong. As if it wanted to tell the world he had to be feared because the infinite power he held. He led and ruled. He was the man in-charge. I got where these men's discomfort came from.

The air got unusually thicker when a brief silence surrounded us. No one said a word. I was even holding my freaking breath.

"I'll take over from here." He said authoritatively. His voice was smooth yet mysterious, dragging people to listen more attentively. He got all fingers but the thumb tucking into his slacks' pocket. The gesture was bold and screamed power, bad guy personality. "And don't fucking dare to come back before bringing the fucker to my feet."

"Okay, boss." They replied in unison after gulping loudly. Hell, I knew they were eager to leave this place since the first time they saw him entering the room.

Edward waved his hand in dismissal, and not two seconds later, those men were gone out of sight, leaving me alone with him. The door was closed with a click. It sounded like a death march in my ears.

He shifted his gaze to me. Those piercing eyes were so green and intense I almost tempted to look away. He took a seat across from me, on the other side of the couch, leaning back with arms crossing over his chest. I wasn't gonna lie his presence really made me wanna flee out of the room.

"Why do people keep wasting my time nowadays?" he muttered to himself, glancing up to the ceiling, before turning his attention back to me. His lips twitched a little watching I was dying in my place. "I haven't slept in the last twenty-four hours, so excuse my mood that is probably in messy shape right now." That information caused me to swallow the bile in my throat. I might possibly die here. God, where did all this disaster start from? And why the fuck I was the one who faced the consequences of Jacob's doing? "So…what kind of douche bag drags his girlfriend into his fuck-ups, huh?"

Should I answer that question? Because that was the same question I had been asking myself for the past hour.

"Poor little girl." He mocked. One corner of his lips curled up into a sexy crooked smirk. How could he do that and seem nonchalant about it? "What's your name, _sweetheart_?"

I hated that the nickname didn't sound disgusting rolling off his mouth.

"Bella Swan."

"Oh, and what do you think your boyfriend is planning, Bella?" his tone was playful, his gesture was relaxed. This kind of man was actually scarier. The one who could let our guard down before he really attacked, so no one could predict his next step? Definitely scary.

"I-I honestly don't know." I replied. And it was barely audible.

His irises darkened immediately. Eyes were stone cold. Smirk disappeared.

He wasn't satisfied with my answer.

I had the urge to correct myself. "I-I mean, I was just told to handle his deali—"

"What a waste of my time." He grunted, cutting me off. His hand dived into the breast pocket of that expensive black coat, slowly pulling out a sleek menacing knife from there. I was sweating here on my seat while he was watching my reaction from time to time. Damn it. "Come here." He ordered, beckoning me with that freaking terrifying as shit knife.

Fuck.

What would he do to me? Should I come over him? Would it enrage him if I didn't make any move? But what happened if I came over him? What if he stabbed me with that knife? My head was aching just thinking about it.

I better followed Jas' advice.

 _Just come over there, bitch. What was so difficult about that?_

My feet were heavy as I dragged them to the other side of the couch. He was staring at me impatiently from where he was sitting. My steps might be slower than snail. As soon as he was in the range to reach me, he caught my wrist and sat me on the coffee table. Then he leaned in so close I could smell the scent of gun smokes, blood, spice and woods mix together from his body.

"You know I don't have time for this shit, right?" his lips were on the thin line. Eyes were sending daggers at my way. He was indeed upset. I was freaking out of the view I didn't realize I made a move to lean away. He quickly caught my right upper arm in his grip out of an instinct. "And I don't care about gender, by the way. So you may want to play nice, _bellissima_."

I replied him in panic.

"I really don't—"

What happened next was extremely unexpected. I was beyond shocked. He was silencing me with one swift move, twisting my arm behind my back then pushing my body down until I was flat on my stomach. His move was fast and practiced. As if he had done it million times.

The coffee table felt cold against my bare midriff. To locking his grip on me, he had his knee pressing to my twisted-backward arm, shifting half of his weight on my body at the same time. I groaned at the pain.

That shit hurt like hell.

My back absolutely would bruise.

When he was sure I couldn't move an inch, his hands grabbed my other arm roughly. Chills ran down my spine the exact moment he picked out my index finger. The tip of his blade was teasing me with its sharpness. I paled a little.

I tried to fight but it was useless.

"Stay still." He said lowly. The tone was something you couldn't disobey. But what he was about to do was the one that terrified me the most.

"Please…." I whimpered, unconsciously begging him to let me go.

"Where is he, _bellissima_?" he inquired, demanding a real answer. His knee pushed deeper with no mercy. I was hardly breathing right now. "Oh, you want to do this all day, huh?" he chuckled darkly. I didn't like the sound at all. "You know I'm not gonna stop at one finger, right?"

I gasped at his bluntness and how easy he said the word. This situation was still hard to digest yet I didn't have a chance to stop and think about it. I mean, really, I just happened to be in wrong place and wrong time. And right now I was possibly losing all of my fingers because I didn't have the answers he wanted.

But I tried.

Raking my brain to come up with an answer. Anything. I had to fucking survive.

 _Shit, come on, Bella. Name a place where Jacob might be._

When he almost did it and I was imagining my index finger rolling off on the table in front of my eyes, I screamed out of the blue. "Mexico!" he stopped and listened. Relief washed over me as I tried to collect the memory. God, I was so damn close. "Two day ago, he said he was in Mexico. I-I don't know if he's still there or—"

My voice was muffled with sobs. I didn't even realize I was crying until now. He let go of me and took a step back. Both my arms fell weakly on my sides. I still tried to control my shaky breaths. This was the scariest thing that had ever happened in my life.

All of a sudden, I felt a hand grabbing my waist. It was not rough like before yet I tensed up by his gesture. With him, you would never know.

He pulled and carefully placed me on his lap. My right side was flushed against his front. His fingers twirled my messy hair, tucking it away from my face. The act was soothing, hell, even caring, but my heartbeats had not yet come down from the insane tension.

"Look at me." I did what he said right away. I couldn't risk getting on his bad side anymore. What just happened made me question his sanity. When I looked up, those piercing greens trapped me under his gaze. That signature smirk appeared. For a moment I was almost sure his mood had lifted up. But again, he could have fooled me. "Such a good girl." He grinned wider before kissing me twice on the lips.

* * *

 **Tell me what you think! xx**


	3. Chapter 3

_**"** **I don't wanna care tonight, I don't wanna fight."**_

 ** _-Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight, Lana Del_ _Rey_**

* * *

I could still remember the first time I met Jacob Black. There was this party at a friend's apartment where she was always throwing almost every freaking night. Alice was so loaded and wild and her party was nothing if drugs weren't involved because she herself was a hard-line junkie. We didn't exclusively friends or something like that. Damn, perhaps our friendship was limited to acknowledging each other. Long story short, I came at the party where Jacob was the supplier.

Since the very beginning, we knew our relationship was mostly physical. It wasn't love but it wasn't like we were fucking buddies and all. Our relationship was comfortable and we cared for each other. Deeply. Hell, I even thought he was my hero and everything because he had pulled me out of that wild wasted life that I was once drowned in. For a depressed runaway and happiness seeker like me, his presence gave me kind of positive vibes. Like, when everybody quit, he came and stayed.

Well, I knew he was bad news. I knew for most people he was nightmare because he trapped their sons and daughters to the wicked cycle, feeding them to create illusion in their minds, and worst, probably overdosing them. I was aware of the bad influences he was carrying and spreading, but trust me, when he was with me he seemed like a total different person. He cured my addiction, teaching me how to control it. Hell, as unbelievable as it might sound, I was drug-free six months later.

So yeah, that was the kind of relationship we had. We respected and cared for each other.

That was why I couldn't accept the fact that he was putting me in this situation. I was his companion for two years, for fucks sake. This shit didn't make sense at all. I mean, why? Why he had to do this?

I was asleep thinking about his reasons hours after Edward got out of the room and left me alone. I didn't know how long time had passed, but the moment I woke up was because someone's knocking on the door. I was scared, thinking it was Edward. But it wasn't. This man was younger and he said his name was Paul. He brought a tray of food and a piece of big-sized flannel shirt. When he knew I wanted nothing to do with it, he told me that it was all Edward's order. There was a slight fear in his eyes at the mention of his name. And they were begging me silently to follow it. Because his life was at stake too if he couldn't make me do what his boss wanted.

I hated that I pitied Paul. I hated that everyone seemed afraid of Edward.

I take a shower at the adjoined bathroom then changed my clothes into an oversized flannel shirt that fell around my knees. The food was already cold, but I ate it anyway. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw the empty tray.

Sometime later, I didn't know if it was already night or evening or even morning because there was no window or clock here, the handle of the door moved. Paul would have knocked if he entered the room. I knew this was Edward. I had anticipated his arrival. What I didn't anticipate was the big grin on his face.

Someone was in the good mood.

"Well, hello, _bellissima_." Those eyes were twinkled in amusement. And I couldn't help but feeling the goosebumps at the back of my neck. This was a bad sign. "How are you today?"

I didn't know how to answer his question.

He made his way to me in steady strides before setting himself on the coffee table. The gesture was nothing but relaxed, but still, there was something intimidating in him that was too noticeable to ignore. I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, nervous as hell. Yeah, how could I not?

He smirked, enjoying the sight.

"I got you a present."

Believe me, it didn't sound like good news at all.

Damn, the cheerful tone in his voice obviously didn't suit him. And it made me more suspicious about what he was planning.

"Aren't you curious?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

My answer was immediate, but full of disinterest. "I am."

He chuckled.

"Yeah, I can feel your curiosity." It was sarcastic but the humor was there. I clenched and unclenched my hand, trying to shake off the slight tremor.

Those emeralds were on me the whole time as his hand dug into his pants pocket. Only to reveal a small pill bottle.

My eyes widened in recognition. Was it what I was thinking it was?

When I made no move to do anything with said present, he opened the cap and poured one on his palm.

Right, I knew that tablet everywhere.

I knew the variance from a to z. I knew how long it would take to reach the peak. I knew the best stuff to combine it with to get the perfect high. I knew every bit of information of this stuff because it was once my favorite. And I knew its effects, the main reason it was created at the first place. The pleasure it would give.

"How do you want to take it?" he inquired, pulling me out of my own thoughts. I shifted my focus to him, still trying to figure out his motive.

"I won't." I didn't know where the hell I got the nerve to say those two words. It wasn't like I regretted it, but how his expression changed into the dangerous one got me all tense up. Those piercing emeralds warned me. With one look, I knew I had no choice. He gave no room to argue. No one dared to face the risks of saying no to him.

He killed the distance by one smooth move. The next thing I knew was his face was mere inches from mine I could even feel his minty breaths on my skin. "Why do you always like to make angry, _bellissima_?" he said through his teeth.

"What do you want from me?" I replied with the shaky voice and left courage. His eyes were burning me with green flames, holding me hostage at the same time. And I knew right away, I would be dead here. In every possible way.

That grin reappeared. Only now it was wicked and less playful. "You know exactly what I want." He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye while his other hand brought that illegal pill to my closed-tight lips. The man chuckled darkly. "Always choose the painful way one, aren't you?"

His fingers crept down to neck, encircling it loosely, but of course, my nervousness didn't fade at all. It was like my body was all alarmed. Because only God knows when exactly he would strike. "You're only wasting your energy, _sweetheart_." He whispered, while slowly putting some pressure on my neck, pushing me down at the same time.

I wanted to cry.

Because somehow I knew he would win in the end and all this fight seemed so useless.

My mouth was automatically open as soon as he choked me, and he used that opportunity to pop the drug into my mouth and make me swallow it. Then he let me go, looking so satisfied with himself.

It didn't take long for the drug to have the effect in my system. In short minutes, I could feel the tingly sensation at my stomach. And I knew I would possibly zone out very soon.

Edward was saying something but I couldn't keep up with his words. It was like his mouth moved so fast and my mind was unfocused.

His fingers caressed my cheek just barely, but the touches felt so intense in my head. They burned and set me on fire. And I couldn't help but enjoying it.

He laughed. It sounded surprisingly melodic and beautiful. Like an angel's voice. His psychotic attitude was completely vanished. He suddenly changed into a charming gentleman in my eyes and I couldn't do anything about it. All I cared about right now was feeling good and happy.

The tip of his fingers traced down to my neck, teasing at the collar of my shirt and unlatching all the buttons one by one. I didn't stop him. I didn't even complain. My mind and body gave in. As if there was some pseudo emotional closeness between us. Like, we actually knew each other for a long time.

"Beautiful." He whispered huskily, staring down at my exposed body shamelessly. I should be embarrassed. I should at least cover it. But I didn't. I just lied here, looking at him exploring my body like it intrigued me.

The back of his hand grazed my inner thigh in circle motion, building up my desire. Then he slowly dragged it up to my core and I could feel my insides burst right away. This was all too good.

He smirked smugly before flipping me over, taking off the rest of my clothes in the process. The couch felt so rough against my naked front and I couldn't deny but feeling aroused as soon as he gathered my hair in one hand to kiss the spot on my neck.

"Do you want me to stop?" he murmured against my skin, tickling me with his hot breath. I didn't know why I couldn't even answer that simple question. It was so obvious I should say yes or at least nod because this was so wrong. He shouldn't touch me like he did. He shouldn't continue whatever he was about to do to me. But I couldn't find my voice. And he didn't seem to care about my inner battle.

He grabbed my waist, pulling me to my knees, and suddenly I could feel his bare hardness against my ass. He then maneuvered it lower, down to my wet core, rubbing it between my folds before entering me agonizingly slow, just about the head, giving me time to adjust his size. But after that he pushed deep and hard in one stroke, splitting me into two. I totally forgot about our situation and cried out in ecstasy.

He fucked me hard and rough and I hated that I liked every bit of it. The sound of my ass slapping his thighs and our moans filled the room. It was pure pleasure, but that small little drug intensified the feeling. I begged for his mercy and he kept commenting how tight I felt around him.

"Edward, please." I writhed beneath him as the pleasure became too much to bear.

"Fuck." He grunted hoarsely, increasing the pace. In and out. In and out. I couldn't breathe as he went faster.

This was enough to send me off the edge. My legs trembled uncontrollably and my inner muscles contracted as I came hard. He didn't stop, though. He was riding my orgasms, making me fly higher and fall faster. I came and came again. My knees would probably collapse if it was not for his hold on my waist. Our bodies were bathed by sweats and I could feel the exhaustion start to taking over me.

Then I lost consciousness at the same time he reached his orgasms.


	4. PLEASE READ THIS

**PLEASE READ THIS**

Okay, first of all I wanna say I'm sorry that I didn't warn you before about the dark content of the previous chapter and I'm also sorry because it offends many people, especially my loyal readers, the ones that are with me since the very beginning.

So because of that reason, I think I need to write this asap. You all deserve an explanation from me. I know rape is a rape. And it's not a joke. So I get why some of you decide to leave this story. But I promise you, I will not do such a thing to ruin it. I have plot. Before I start a new story, I have already planned everything in details. And this is part of that detail.

Well, I hate that I have to leak the plot, but with all the negative reviews I've got, I think I should give you one.

1\. You know I try so hard to create a real bad Edward, a brand new merciless human being. He doesn't have soft spot for anyone, including Bella. So he is trying to make her fear him the way people do. He tries to make her hate him more than anyone does. Just wait for the EPOV for the details.

2\. Yes, he drugs her. He likes to force people do what he wants. And looking at the way Bella fights him, it only challenges him more. He likes it, of course, but when it becomes too much, he has to remind her who he is and what he can do.

3\. The most important: As doesn't make sense as it sounds, no, he doesn't rape her. The drug makes her think that way and that's his intention too. It's a hallucination. And I will explain it at the next chapter real soon I hope.

I'm so sorry if I offend you. I hope you still want me to continue this story :)


	5. Chapter 5

**_"_** ** _I'm willing to try another way. That is, if I get by another day."_**

 ** _—_** ** _Try Tonight, Lana_**

* * *

I didn't know how long I passed out, but the moment I gained consciousness, Edward was nowhere to be found. My head was dizzy as hell and I suddenly felt cold from head to toe. Visual memories about last night were automatically played, making me feel sicker than I already was.

Fuck.

Did last night really happen?

A wave of nausea started to come just thinking about the probability. And it was enough to get me sprint toward the adjoined bathroom and empty the content of my stomach. Damn it, what the hell had happened? I didn't even remember it. Could it be true? Or was it just the drug? I admitted I had experienced it. Popping some ecstasies and I could be having orgasms just by looking at the cute guy at the party.

The difference was, back then, I didn't even have a slight care about it.

I washed my face and stared at my pale reflection in the mirror. Those scenes in my head didn't stop, though, and it was only making me feel more disgusted with myself.

God, I hated him.

I mean, why? Why he had to do that? Why did he drug me? Did I do something wrong? Did I upset him that much?

I felt so angry and helpless. There was nothing I could do to fix this situation and I couldn't get away from here either. Damn it. Why Jacob had to drag me along into his grave? Why me for fucks sake? I sat on the cold bathroom floor and hugged my knees, unconsciously crying, letting out all the frustration and anger. I cried so hard for only God knows how long, releasing all the confusion and disappointment that had been held for a couple of days. Every single emotion was poured to free the burden in my chest.

Next thing I knew was my eyes were puffy, my head hurt and my body was all tired.

As if my luck couldn't get worse, the devil itself chose that moment to open the bathroom door and watched my downfall. He was standing there in his usual nice suit while I was a crazy mess on the floor.

His lips were curled up into that signature annoying smirk, looking amused as ever.

I wouldn't lie I wanted to cry harder.

This was so humiliating.

I looked away first, but I could tell his eyes were still on me. The man didn't do anything else. He was just standing there and staring.

His gaze made my skin crawl. And the way he was blocking the exit made me feel more helpless and trapped.

Was it also his intention?

The silence was uncomfortable as usual. I thought this was definitely his favorite part, a tricky way to intimidate people.

And I fell for it every single time.

"Did you sleep well?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow in suggestive way. I was kinda surprised he decided to end our mental war really soon. But of course, as soon as I heard his question, I knew where it was heading to. This was just how he played games, bringing it to the new level, trying to make me feel smaller and cornered.

"What do you want?" I bit back, out of the anger I had been holding the entire time. He had the guts to chuckle at my reaction, as if I just entertained him.

"Oh, so feisty this morning, aren't you?"

Was he serious right now?

I couldn't hold it back any longer. I lost my shit the moment I saw his amused face. My hands made a move by themselves, throwing everything on the countertop at him. A bottle of shampoo, body wash, even toothbrush. Anything. But unluckily for me, nothing hit the target. That famous quick instinct made him ready all the time. I wondered if he really ever let his guard down.

He made to dodge all of them effortlessly and I felt like I just made a fool of myself.

As if I wasn't humiliated enough…

The grip on my upper arms was expected as I was pulled roughly onto my feet by the time he took three long strides toward me. Those greens looked me dead in the eye. And I didn't have a choice but held my head high despite of the trace of tears on my cheeks. "You don't wanna start, _bellissima_." He coldly warned me.

At this point I got nothing to lose.

"Oh, well, let's cut the bullshit, shall we?" I snapped, making him flinch at the tone. Yeah, never heard anyone screaming at you before, your majesty? "What the fuck else do you want from me?!"

His response was far from my expectation. Never guessed he would grin evilly instead at my outburst.

"So, do you want to know, hmm?" he teased, shortening the gap between us. And once again I was trapped. Between his body and this wall behind me and this sick game he was playing. "How about I'm showing you…" he paused, only to lower his face to my eye level. "… _bellissima_?"

I had to be looking so pathetic right now.

"Didn't you take enough?" I replied, hating that I couldn't just skip the shaking part in my voice.

That wicked cynical smile appeared. I was already down looking at it alone. "Men are greedy motherfuckers, baby. Why just having one bite when you could have more?" he twirled my hair, tucking it behind my ear.

"You're sick." I spat, full of hatred and furry. Memory about last night came into my mind for countless times already. God, I hated him. I hated him so much.

"Aw, how cute. Where do my willing _bellissima_ go right now?"

I didn't know how I did it, but I slapped him across his cheek. His face snapped to the side. My palm was even burning after the blow. But of course, it was worth it looking at how stunned he was at that sudden move. And it took longer than usual for him to gain his composure.

Still, by the time his jaw hardened, I knew he had decided to pay it back equally.

When he turned his face back at me, his cool and playful demeanor was gone, replaced by furry and back to his original psychotic behavior. He pulled me by my hair, dragging me across the bathroom and over the dirty bathtub, only stopped to turn the tap on. I watched the water fill it and wondered what he had in mind.

Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

He turned my head to his direction, never once loosened his hold in the process. "You always fucking test me." I grimaced at his dead tone and the look on his face. The man looked like he was ready to make me suffer.

The grip on my hair tightened as he brought me to my knees, then without mercy pushing my head into the now overflowing bathtub. I held my breath as long as I could while fighting against his grip. He pressed my head deeper to the bottom as I was struggling to breathe. When the water started to block my airway, he decided to pull my head out.

I gasped for air, taking all I could get before he dipped me back to the damned bathtub. I screamed and tried to break loose as best as the chance allowed, but he didn't stop.

He did this back and forth until I didn't have left energy to fight him anymore.

I just accepted it. And silently prayed that this psychotic monster would rot in hell. The one and only place he should be.

I was barely conscious as he decided to end my torture. My chest hurt and my throat was burning. I coughed so badly I felt like I was dying.

He tossed me on the floor like a fucking garbage. My vision was blurred and the ache all over my body was obvious.

Somehow, I knew he was still here. Just stood and stared. I could feel it. Those piercing eyes. The intense gaze. His mind was at chaos too. The darkness behind my eyelids made me see and acknowledge more. I wondered why he didn't throw me a cocky smirk. Or made a snide comment. Wasn't this what he wanted?

He took one, two, three steps. Away from me. The sound of his expensive shoes was ringing in my ears. Chill and shiver wrapped me tight. Numbness was my only company. And before he really left, I ffinally found my voice.

"Edward?" he stopped and glanced, taken aback that I was still conscious. Or that I dared to call him by name. But the acid tone was clear. And the other meanings behind it. My deep hatred. My upcoming revenge. I bet he could feel them too.

I blinked, opening my eyes. His was full of confusion. Furrowed eyebrows. I wondered why he was so quiet. So, I asked him. I asked the question that had haunted my mind since I laid here, on the cold floor.

"Are you satisfied?"

* * *

 **thank you for your support! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**_"_** ** _There's something she doesn't know about. A secret he doesn't show about."_**

 ** _—_** ** _I'm Indebted to You, Lana_**

* * *

 **EPOV**

Fury.

Deep in her eyes. The hateful stare. Bold and determination.

Damn, did she know she was much prettier when she had that hatred in her eyes? Little girl was planning her revenge. And I couldn't help but waiting on it.

She was fire.

Burning my skin without touching it. And I was left wanting more every single time.

Oh, how much I wished I had killed her that day, when we first met.

I looked down on her laying there, a mess and hardly breathing while she asked that question. That fucking particular question.

 _Are you satisfied?_

Well, fuck. I had never been this stunned before. Her tone was flat and uninterested, but the words. Hell, the words were mocking. As if she knew the truth.

 _Edward?_

 _Are you satisfied?_

Was I? Was I fucking satisfied? How dared she asking me this question? Besides, who in the right mind called me by first name? Only my closest ones could call me Edward. Who the hell did she think she was? She was no one here, and more importantly, she had no power for fucks sake. This was my home, my territory. Hell, I owned this freaking city. Then, there she was, questioned my satisfaction?

She really had a death wish.

If only, I could do it sooner. Or continued what I had started.

Maybe I should have pushed her down in the freaking bathtub until she got no breath left. Believe me I could. Her girly fight was nothing against my strength. That would be so easy. I should have ended her, shutting her mouth forever. I should have…fuck. But this didn't seem right. All the wicked plans toward her seemed so fucking wrong. Strange. I felt like I was weakened. And damn if this shit didn't scare me.

Yeah so, this was so far a new experience for me. I had never been like this before. Because no way in hell I tolerated shits. Usually when something went wrong, I would have it fixed by the end of the day. No freaking compromise. There was no time for sorry in this kind of business. You made a mistake, you were out. That was my rule. And that was why I was on top of my game. But then all of a sudden…soft spot. A weakness. I didn't know how and why, but clearly, I was damned.

It wasn't like I had a crush on her or something. Fuck, I didn't even like her. With that purple grayish hair? Ew, no, not my fucking type. But I didn't say she was ugly or disgusting, though. Hell, I admitted she was kinda attractive. And cute? Yes, probably because she was so young. Early twenties, I guessed. That was where her guts came from.

God, I hated her.

I bet the feeling was mutual.

I left her the way she was at the bathroom, quitting the basement and up to the ground floor. Paul stood from his seat when he saw me coming. I gave him a nod before leaving the warehouse.

As soon as I drove away from here, my phone rang. It was Jamie.

It'd better be good news. If not, I would fucking end him. Cousin or not.

"Please tell me you got the fucker." I said as soon as I pressed answer. He had the nerve to chuckle. Of course.

"Looks like someone has tested your patience this morning, brother."

"Every fucking day." I grunted.

"Who is it? Jacob's girl?" he asked, interested.

"Why are you calling?" I carefully changed the object. And I swore I could almost feel him grinning on the other side.

"Aw, can't wait to meet her." Asshole.

Didn't he know this root of the problem was all his fault? This was why we were so much different. Jamie was too fucking laid back to the point of careless. I mean, fuck, the position he had been given in the family wasn't a place for playing around for fucks sake. He took care of the flow of all the illegal drugs in the freaking Florida. And now one of his men was stealing from us and slipping away to Mexico. Freaking fantastic. No, it actually wasn't about the money. Money was easy to get here. It was about disloyal and disrespect.

Of course this shit angered me. I fought teeth and nails to get my family to where it was now. To get back the respect, the power, and the recognition in mafia world. Hell, we had been through so much back then. Dark days full of betrayal and distrust. But we made to get up and passed the storm. Marking back our territory and ruling the entire Florida like we should. I didn't try to brag, but if it wasn't for me, this family would have been extinct.

"Don't waste my time." I grunted, speeding up my Ferrari. As if I didn't have enough problems in my hand already…

"Scary." He mocked. I swore I would fucking kill him someday. My hand was a second away to hang up, when he said, "I just want to tell you that Jas and Em spotted him in Tijuana." Well, this was new. "They reported he is now associated with Alvarrez gang."

Alvarrez? How interesting. It was a new gang in Mexico, but filled by old faces in drug scene.

"Do you think he stole for them?"

"Possibly."

* * *

I had meetings in the entire day. All business-related, the usual boring stuff, like gun shipment, drug smuggling, high-end prostitution, I oversaw everything. And by the evening I had dinner with my father, Edward Masen Sr. The real don of this family. Yet what his lazy ass contributed was nothing. My father had lost his touch of leadership since my mother's death. He took it the hard way. I could feel the changes in him. Still, right now I was on my way to have dinner with him and his new wife. The sixth one.

What was her name again? Miranda? Melanie?

My step-mother greeted me with that sickeningly huge smile. The teeth were all white. Her face was a bit different. And her tits were impossibly bigger than the last time I met her. Well, had got new plastic surgery appointments, mother?

"You're late." She pouted. I gripped her upper arms, preventing her to kiss my cheek.

This was disgusting. Her age couldn't be more than twenty-five. Which meant she was about ten years younger than me.

"Where's my father?" I asked instead, looking around the massive dining room.

"Waiting for you in his office." Still pouted as if it looked cute on her. Gross.

I walked upstairs to his office I knew too well only to find him sitting behind his desk with a scotch in hand. "Dad?"

"Oh, Junior! What an honor to have you in my home." He said with rich of sarcasm. "How's business?"

"Hectic." I replied, approaching him to sit on the seat in front of him.

"Of course." He mocked, sipping his drink.

"How are you, Dad?"

"Very good."

"Yeah, I can actually see that." Sarcastic. This was always how we took the conversation. We were cut off by my ringing phone. I frowned at the caller id. It was Paul. "Excuse me, Dad." I said before answering the call. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, Boss. I don't know if I should be concerned or not, but I think her condition is getting worse." He said carefully. Was he talking about Bella?

"What do you mean?" I kept my tone as neutral as possible.

"She looks pretty sick. And she's still unconscious here on the bathroom floor." Worry abruptly overtook me. I didn't know where the feeling came from. It just appeared out of nowhere. Damn it. Why the fuck did I care?

"Pulse?"

"Weak."

Fuck.

And without a second thought, I instructed him. "Bring her to my house. And call Carlisle."

* * *

 **Love you guys :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**_"_** ** _You lay awake with thoughts of murder and carnage."_**

 ** _—_** ** _24, Lana_**

* * *

I woke up to the fluffy pillow and plush quilted duvet. My throat was dry and my head was dizzy. I tried to get up but the room spun and blurred like crazy. Palming my temple, I blinked a couple of times before finally made to sit against the chesterfield headboard. And without a second thought I grabbed a glass of water on the bedside table, drinking it all. I didn't realize I was so freaking thirsty until now.

My eyes wandered around this spacious room, taking my surroundings. The curtains were pulled open, unveiling the glass wall and the magnificent morning ocean view behind it. There were L-shaped tufted sectional sofa in the middle of the room and a huge flat screen television attached to the sidewall. And on my left, the opened sliding door revealing some large and luxury walk-in closet, filled with masculine clothes and shoes.

Shit, where the hell was I?

Before I managed to observe more, my full bladder made itself known. When I was sure I was alone in the room, I slid in to the ultra lavish bathroom and emptied the content of my bladder, watching around in awe. This was beyond posh. The bathtub, the double washbasins, the toilet, the floor, the freaking detailed interior, everything absolutely screamed money here.

As I washed my hands, I found the countertop was well-stocked by toiletries. _Bvlgari_ , it read. This convinced me even more that this room belonged to someone. Man, specifically. Goddamn, don't let it be…

As if answering my gut feeling, all of a sudden the atmosphere around me changed dramatically. The hair on my neck raised and I could feel the shiver down to my spine. The feeling was a bit nostalgic. The tension was so intense I unconsciously gripped the side of the countertop. I remembered the reaction everywhere. And the one who gave this particular effect on me.

For a long moment, none of us said anything. I knew he was enjoying my discomfort. I knew he knew his presence agitated me extremely. Especially after our last encounter.

"How are you feeling?" he asked smoothly, but void of emotions at once. As if the question was out of formality. Of course. I didn't expect him to care, though.

I was silent at first, either because I couldn't find my voice or I was collecting my last courage to face him. His boring gaze to the side of my head was too noticeable to ignore, sending me bad vibes and even more discomfort.

"Where am I?" I dared to ask, even though with shaky voice, not replying his previous question.

"My house." He said, without missing a beat.

"Where?" Because I was sure we weren't in Orlando.

"Tampa."

I turned to face him at that, spontaneous response. To protest, demanding his real motive. Instead, what I saw made me stifle a gasp. There he was, leaning against the doorframe, crossing his legs to the ankles. He was only wearing pants and a white dress shirt which was rolled up to his elbows. It was dusty and wrinkled and the most important thing that shocked the shit out of me was…his front was mostly stained with dry crimson red.

Fuck, the man looked like he just slaughtered someone.

I quivered at the thought.

Sensing my fear, he took one step toward me. Or three. Until we were separated by small gap only. And the strong smell of blood filled my nose. I averted my eyes from the disturbing view and focused at his weary face instead. At the amused expression and the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Why did you take me here?" It was so hard to divert my attention from the freaking blood. And the thought he probably just did the dirty work, like murdering someone didn't sit well on me. I was scared, of course I was.

"What should I do then? Letting you die just like that? Where's the fun in that?" His smile was sinister. And a twinkle of mischief in those greens told me he was enjoying this too much. I took a step back. Involuntarily.

He stared at me intently while unbuttoning his bloodied shirt. I knew damn well I should look away, but hell, my eyes were glued to his body. This felt strangely intimate, but not in the sexual way. Well, maybe a little. Still, mostly his gesture kind of emphasized that he wanted to show me all of him. To make me see him thoroughly and explore his dark secrets and wonder the meaning behind those stunning permanent inks.

His body was a work of art.

All the tattoos started from both of his upper arms, rising to his shoulders, then down to the torso region. All the symbols, calligraphic words, and the portrait of a woman I didn't know about connected as one, as if those freaking tattoos were made by design and were done entirely in a day. Exquisite. Perfect.

He tucked the stray of my lilac hair behind my ear. And the movement interrupted the train of thoughts that had been running through my head, switching all attention back to those spellbinding emeralds. The tip of his forefinger skimmed my jaw innocently, dragging it down and half-circling my neck.

I was astonished as he gently held the back of neck, drawing us closer. There was something in him, mainly in this typical situation that I felt he almost let his guard down for a split second. Like he softened a little. I knew because I was aware I did it too. Shameful. Inappropriate. But this shit happened.

He tilted his head a bit to the side, coming closer and closer until his lips lingered over mine. Time slowed its pace. We inhaled each other breath, mesmerized by the impact. His tongue darted out, licking my bottom lip slightly yet so seductively. Then, he kissed me. Deep but so, so quick. Like a drop of honey. Tasted so sweet, but not enough. And when I blinked, he was gone. Standing a few steps away from me. That cocky smirk and evil demeanor were back. Leaving the confusion on my side.

"Get out of here before I drag you to the shower with me, _sweetheart_."

There was a challenge in his voice. And I knew he wasn't joking.

So I exited the bathroom without giving him a second glance.

I sat on the couch, facing the ocean view, confused and kinda frustrated. Of what just happened. Of what this situation was turned out. What did this man want from me? And importantly, where did I go from here?

Running away indeed was not an option remembering I was in the dangerous territory. Imagine how many guards were on duty in this house and how many cctvs were planted at every corner of the room.

Would I dare to try, though?

Not three minutes later, there were taps on the door. Paul entered the room, giving me a small smile. He put two large paper cups and two take-out bags on the table in front of me. Damn, I could smell bacon, egg, and coffee from there. But before I could question him anything, the man exited the room.

Fucking great.

Because of those tempting stuffs, I acknowledged how much I was starving right now. But of course, I couldn't just grab and devour them, right? I mean, was one of those really for me? What if it was all for Edward to eat? Men usually had a huge appetite. And it was kinda weird I was fed so kindly. I decided not to touch the meal even though my stomach growled like crazy.

Edward was out of the bathroom ten minutes later. His hair was damp and the nice scent of his body wash was hanging in the air. He went straight to the walk-in closet and put on clothes without closing the damn sliding door. His very naked back was completely on display, including his freaking fine ass. I snorted and shifted my gaze. How very modest of him.

After what seemed like ages, the man came out, dressed nicely in navy suit and polished shoes. He joined me on the couch, sipping his coffee and opening his take-out bag at the same time. Damn, it was bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

"The food doesn't suit your fancy, huh?" his eyebrow was raised. He acted like nothing happened between us a moment ago. I didn't how he did that. I decided not to answer his sarcasm, but made a move to grab the coffee. Awkward minutes later, after he finished his meal, he got up from his seat. "Just ask Paul if you need anything." With that he left the room without waiting for my reply.

The day went on. I admitted this house was much better than that scary warehouse, but with Edward, you would never know. Right now he could be planning something brutal behind.

I exploited the luxury of his bathroom, rubbing all the dirt of my skin until I felt so clean. When I remembered I didn't have anything to wear, I entered his massive walk-in closet searching something I could put on. Surprisingly, there was a part of this closet that was contained of women clothes. They didn't look new, but did not look worn out either. And of course, high fashion brands. Maybe it belonged to his ex-girlfriend? Well, I had no idea, but I thought this would do. They were on my size after all.

There wasn't much to do here. I was a little contemplating to get out of this room after hours of laying on the couch all day. Would there be guards standing outside the freaking door? Why could be Edward so relaxed leaving me alone anyway? There had to be a lot of guards here.

Well, I gave it a try, though.

I opened the door and held my breath. And… nothing. I was surprised there was no one guarding the door. Closing it behind me, I walked through the hallway and then downstairs, to another sumptuous room. This was an open concept sitting room, adjacent to kitchen set at the corner. It wasn't the formal kitchen I could tell. Because it was too minimalist compared to the luxury this house brought.

Paul stood behind the stove and didn't seem surprised to see me.

"Lunch?" he slid a plate of quesadillas as I sat on the stool.

"You cooked?" I was kinda curious. Because this guy didn't talk much.

He just shrugged.

Right. Of course.

I wanted to ask so many questions to him. About why Edward brought me here, or until when I became his prisoner. And…had they found Jacob?

I wanted to ask all, but I didn't. Because somehow I knew there was no way in hell he would answer.

When I was in the middle of eating, all of a sudden a woman barged into the room. She was tall, tan, and beautiful. All supermodel-like. She was wearing crotched halter top and tight high-waisted shorts. Hair was wavy and ombre dark green. Eyes were blues and curious as they met mine. I knew she could see that in my eyes too.

But she went straight to Paul, hugging his neck even though the man looked reluctant. "Hello, bad boy." She greeted as she pulled away, grinning when Paul rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he practically grumbled.

"Just want to tell you I'll host a party tonight."

"Can't." He refused easily, busying himself with the freaking dishwasher. But the woman was still grinning, though.

"Oh, mean." Paul chose to ignore her comment and she didn't seem to mind, though. Then her head abruptly turned to me, eyes assessing blatantly. "Who are you by the way? Edward's newest hoe?" She asked rudely.

"Are you serious?"

The woman was unbelievable.

Her lips twitched a little. "Well, hi, I'm Hailey."

* * *

 **;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**_"_** ** _I'll do what you tell me. We can have it your way."_**

 ** _—_** ** _Out With A Bang, Lana_**

* * *

I was back to his room again and falling asleep on the couch after my weird encounter with this Hailey girl. Until now I had no idea who she was. And Paul didn't bother to tell me about her. Hailey left after saying that she would like to see me again if Edward decided to keep me around. I rolled my eyes at this. She was thinking I was one of his hoes after all.

The moment I was suddenly jolted awake from my sleep was when I felt a death grip and a hard pull on my arm. I blinked rapidly. And before I could process what the hell was happening, the intruder half-dragged my ass to standing position.

"What in the—" Soon I was greeted by those familiar greens. Not in the friendly way, of course. They were menacing even, like I had never seen before. With one look, I knew he was angry. Hell, he was definitely irate. But on the freaking new level. Forcing me to swallow back the words down to my throat. What? What did I do this time?

"Strip." Lethal. With no trace of humor on his face. That evil side decided to come out and play, but I was too slow to catch up with his game.

"W-what?" Eyes widened. Taken aback. Scared. Of what it would lead to. Praying this was just a joke. But, no. He was very much serious. Demanding. His jaw stiffened. The grip on me tightened. No room for patience here.

I winced at the pain as he pushed me hard against the wall. "You fucking heard me." He spat venom. And I couldn't help but shudder at the tone.

"Edward, I don't understand what you—"

"Stop calling me Edward!" he snapped, cutting me off, making me flinch at his raised voice. "I don't fucking know you for fucks sake. You're a goddamn stranger." Raged, looking me dead in the eye. But his last statement sounded like he was convincing himself.

I didn't have a clue what was happening right now. What triggered his anger and how he could manage to change into quick-tempered and malicious in a short time. I really didn't understand him. Sometimes he came to me and looked like he was ready to kill me. But on another occasion, he was all sweet and flirty.

"What the hell happens to you?" My voice was lower than I intended to. I wasn't even sure he heard it.

"Take. Off. Your. Clothes." Toxic. Emeralds flared.

When I made no move to do what the hell he wanted me to do, his hands snatched the fabric and ripped it into two, leaving my front part open for the world to see. Like, I was literally half-naked here. Skin. So much skin. I still needed time to recover from my shock when he yanked me by my wrist. Eyes were luckily on mine the whole time. Well, I hoped. "Don't fucking touch _her_ stuffs! Do you hear me?" Deadly serious. Irrefutable.

I nodded after swallowed thickly.

Then he glanced down. To my very naked chest. Not in a creepy way, thankfully. But it wasn't like he was holy either. He was still a man for fucks sake. After uncomfortable split second, he turned away, walking into his closet. And I was left wondering who the hell the _woman_ he mentioned just then. The real owner of these freaking clothes. The woman who made him so cranky all of a sudden. Hard to forget ex-girlfriend? Seriously, could a person like him really love someone?

Edward walked out and threw me some big-sized pajama shirt, which was his of course, motioning me to wear it. At least he didn't let me wander around naked. I put it on hastily.

Then his phone rang. I watched as he took it out from his pocket and contemplated for a moment before decided to answer. Hand running over the messy copper on the top of his head. Bags under his eyes did really show. When the last time he got some sleep?

"If it isn't important, I'll hang up now." The man was definitely not in a very good mood right now. I couldn't help but tried to get a glimpse of the conversation he had. Still, did my best to look nonchalant. Which was probably the worst acting in the history. He listened more before smiling devilishly. "Oh, you got the fucker?" Now it piqued my interest. Was he talking about Jacob? "Took you long enough." He sneered, unpleased. "Yeah, whatever. I'm on my way." After disconnected the call, he turned to me, grabbing my hand. "Let's go."

It was in the middle of the night when we got out of his house. I knew because of the eerie and dark surroundings around us. And no, it was actually a freaking mansion, not a house. I didn't realize how fucking huge it was until I was on the driveway and almost the entire building came into my sight. This shit was crazy.

Paul appeared out of nowhere, ushered me to get in to the passenger seat of this beautiful ice blue Ferrari while Edward was already behind the wheel, suit jacket off. Paul hopped into the black Range Rover and we drove off. To somewhere I didn't know.

To be honest I was kinda nervous. Not because I was gonna meet Jacob or something, it was more like…now that they caught him, then what? They would kill him? Torture him? What about me? What would they do to me? The thought made my head ache. This was a freaking nightmare.

Edward drove carelessly. Eyes were not always on the road, hands were not always on the wheel. But his foot sure as hell was always on the gas pedal. Sometimes he would rub his eyes or yawn, signs of his obvious lack of sleep. Damn, were all crime bosses really this busy? After a long drive and worried of my safety, we finally arrived at some deserted neighborhood. And another safehouse.

He parked the car between the trees, trying to get it camouflaged by the darkness around. Beside Edward's and Paul's, there was another car that was already here. I couldn't make it out because of the limited light, but I guessed it was black SUV.

Edward got inside first, followed by me and Paul. The further I stepped into the house, the more restless I became. I couldn't calm down. Believe me I tried. But my gut feeling strongly told me that something bad was going to happen.

We walked into a room that looked like an interrogation room. There were some other people here. Jas, Em, and a man I had never met before. He was tan, blue-eyed, and curly sandy blond-haired. Tall, charming, and less intimidating. Well, I didn't think he was another Edward's bodyguard. I mean, he looked so much more than that.

In the center of the room there were two occupied chairs. The first was Jacob. The battered, heavily bruised, unrecognizable Jacob. It was an instinct I almost wanted to run to him. It did break me a little seeing him like this. But again, I had been suffered so much because of him. Then, the other was a girl, sat just beside him. Crying and scared. And I didn't think she belonged to this cruel world. She looks sweet and innocent even. Who the hell was she?

They both got their hands tied behind their back.

Looked so helpless.

"So, this is Jacob's girl?" I turned my attention to the man whose name I didn't know. The one who now looked at me curiously. Hands deep in the pockets. He was wearing a stylish trench coat over a t-shirt, an Iron Maiden t-shirt, dressing black from head to toe. The man winked at me when he found me looking.

"Not now, Jamie." Edward muttered, rolling his eyes. But this Jamie ignored him.

"Ah, isn't she lovely?" He stared with such interest, almost made me look away. " _Piacere_ , Bella." The way he smirked kinda reminded me of Edward. And as if he could read my mind, he continued. "No, not a brother, but a cousin more exactly." He pointed at Edward before taking my hand to kiss it. "Jamie Salucci, by the way."

"How charming." Edward scoffed. Jamie didn't seem to mind, though.

After that they jumped back to the business. I was surprised to see how quick the conversation shifted. Jamie said he, Jas, and Em had spent the past hour torturing Jacob, but he had denied that he actually stole money and other stuffs from Edward to give them to this Alvarrez man. The version Jacob told them was he was trapped and this was an attempt to get rid of him.

No one trusted his theory.

And I…I didn't know who to trust anymore.

Because when Edward asked Jamie who the fuck this crying and scared girl beside Jacob was, I almost lost my shit at his answer. _His whore_ , he said.

I was beyond…furious. How could he do this to me? First, I was dragged into this shit, then I found the fact that he fucked around?

Damn, I wasn't stupid. I knew Jacob was not a good guy. But I thought at least….

"What are we going to do now?" Jamie asked with bored tone. Jacob shifted uncomfortably on his seat, grimacing of pain. The girl was now pale as ghost. I couldn't help but feeling nervous too. Would they kill me here?

"Lend me a gun." Edward said. Everyone was confused, but no one dared to question him. Still, we were aware he was up to no good.

"Em." Jamie nodded to him, giving him a sign. Em handed him his gun. And now we were looking at him curiously.

His face gave nothing away, though. But somehow I knew he was planning something evil. Which was confirmed when I felt his close proximity right behind me.

Shit.

One hand on my shoulder while his lips leaned in so freaking close to my ear. Then, after an unbearable pause, "Have you ever shot someone?"

* * *

 **Thank you for your reviews! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm back guys! Sorry for the delay, you know how busy real life can be... Hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

 _"_ _Is this what you wished? To commit a crime?"_

 _—_ _For K, Lana_

* * *

 _Have you ever shot someone?_

Blood was drained from my face instantly the moment that sentence was registered in my brain. And now I couldn't stop guessing his motive. Because with him, you had to prepare for the worst scenario. As always.

I gulped down the bile in my throat and tried to calm my accelerated heartbeats.

Those laughing eyes met mine. Bright and child-like met the horrified ones. His smirk was in place, telling me this was going to be so much fun. If only his sense of humor wasn't this scary. Not too far from my left, Jamie chuckled soundlessly. Well, apparently, I was the only one who didn't find the situation funny, meaning, I was the sanest human in the room.

Fingers tucked the piece of hair behind my ear, shifting the attention back to the demon close to my side. Eyes did all the talking. _Please_. _No, please_. _Anything but this_. The corner of his lips twitched in response, amused at my misery. He loved every inch of it.

"It's not as hard as you think, _sweetheart_." He said saccharinely. Nothing good came from his overly sweetness, the world knew that. I looked around frantically, searching for help and way-out. And, of course, there was none. Because here, and I meant here was in this fucking city, Edward held superior power.

"No, please, I can't—" I didn't realize I had involuntarily moved away from him as he yanked me back instantly toward him by my forearm.

"Let me tell you the rules here, alright?" he was getting impatient, warning me in silence that he really needed me to be cooperative or he was going to do it the hard way.

"Please, I'll do anything." I begged. It was out before it could be stopped. His malicious greens lighted up and I regretted it immediately.

"Of course, you'll do anything, _sweetheart_." He chuckled darkly, emphasizing the double meaning behind those words. "But now you're gonna take this gun and blow one of their fucking heads or else, I'll blow yours." He added, pushing Em's Glock to my palms as his own gun kissed the side of my forehead.

I couldn't say a single word. My mouth was dry. Hands were shaky. I didn't know what to do. Edward didn't do empty threats. When he said he would shoot, we all knew he would fucking do it.

I glanced at him for a second. His smirk encouraged me to oppose him. I could tell this excited him to no end. The feel he had my life in his hands and was about to show it in front of his people. He was psychotically crazy, thirsty of danger and defiance.

"Daddy doesn't have all day, baby." He sighed dramatically. I raised both hands with gun in between, holding it tight as if I was afraid I would drop it. Jacob gave me a small smile, taking all the blame to himself while the girl was frantically trying to get away from the tight knot. I couldn't fucking decide. "Choose wisely." Demon whispered, too close to my liking. Nothing he enjoyed more than my discomfort. He pressed his gun again, a cue that my time was up. One of them or me.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to fucking scream. I wanted to fucking aim it to him. To Edward. But of course, I didn't. Like a selfish bitch I was, I shot. Closing my eyes in the process, even though I knew I hit the target. This wasn't the first time I used a gun. Jacob taught me many times about defending myself if shit went wrong. And now I was using it for my own good.

The Glock was slipped out of my hand as soon as the deafening sound was ringing in my ears. Blood flowing, a body was sprawled on its seat. I couldn't stand the damages I had caused. Disgust was taking over. I felt so nauseous.

Edward said something I couldn't make out, and all of a sudden, I was half-dragged out of the safehouse by Paul. He looked at me in slight pity. I could tell he had seen worse. We somehow made it to the SUV. He handed me a bottle of mineral water out of nowhere which I took graciously.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, a bit concerned.

I laughed out loud, the water I was drinking spurted. "Funny question." He let me be after that, didn't say or ask anything. We drove off in silence, toward the new hell I would be living. Then, I felt like I couldn't handle the emotion anymore. "Did I kill her?"

* * *

The moment I was back into the hellhole, I went straight to the shower, scrubbing the sin out of me. I cried. I screamed out the top of my lungs, frustrated. I could smell the blood everywhere as if my brain had it memorized. Paul didn't answer my last question and I didn't know whether to thank or curse him.

I hoped I didn't shoot the crucial part of her body. I hope it was just her hand or leg. Damn him. Damn his evil mind.

I rubbed my body harder as though I wanted to peel the skin. Guilt began to take over as the awful event was automatically replayed over and over again. The harder I blocked the images, the faster it would come back assaulting my head.

Helplessness was no stranger to me since I met Edward. He got me falling to the same hole every freaking time he wanted me to. Always.

I was awake the day after on the bathroom floor, dreaming about blood and guns and Jacob. Shit, I forgot about Jacob. What the hell happened to him? Did they kill him? Fuck. Although I didn't shoot him, that didn't mean they would let him live. I immediately felt anxious and panic, had the urge the get out of this house. Ignoring the tray of meal on the table, I slipped out of the room quietly. I knew Edward hadn't been here seeing the super neat and untouched bed.

The first floor was empty. No one was here. Not even Paul.

Was it a trap or something? Edward was known for his games.

No, Bella, there was no way you were left alone. Never in million years he would let his evil empire unguarded.

The thought of him seemed to give the devil itself a call or something because the next thing I knew, I was hearing his voice. I was sure it wasn't just in my head.

"You awake?"

I instinctively turned around only to find him towering over me at the top of stairs. Wearing nothing but grey sweatpants. Those tattoos were on display, covering almost all the upper part of his perfect body. Wicked and intriguing. His hair was such a mess, looking like it had just been dragged out of bed. Eyes were lazy and tired, as though he didn't get enough sleep.

"Where's Paul?" I decided to ask, only to fill the awkward silence.

He walked downstairs, scratching his neck. "Run some errands." The man went straight to the kitchen island to pour a coffee. Then, after taking a big gulp, he dropped the bomb. "Great shot, by the way." Smirking, very satisfied watching me crumbling in my place. God, I hated him so much. "Poor girl, didn't expect you would choose that shameless fucker—"

"Stop it." I cut him. His grin widened.

"Come here."

"You've got him now. What else do you want from me?" My voice was raised an octave out of frustration.

"I don't like repeating myself." He said firmly.

I approached him with angry steps and clenched fist. Then, without thinking I swung my punch. Against his nice cheek. The contact stunned us both. I didn't know what possessed me to do this, but hell, it felt so fucking good I wanted to do it again despite of the pain. He caught my wrists as I was about to take the second swing, then, yanked me to him.

"And now you still dare to wish I will let you go?" his jaw hardened. I could see the bruise more clearly from here. It was small, but it was there. Becoming some kind of reminder of my rare courage.

I leaned away as far as I could, but he used the opportunity to push me down until I was flat on the kitchen island. Hands gripped my wrists above my head while his body hovered over me. He chuckled heartlessly as he watched me struggle. "You ask for it, _sweetheart_."

I was about to open my mouth when he shut me with his lips. The kiss was deadly. Hard and demanding, but still soft and unhurried. He took his time, seducing me with his tongue until I gave up and kissed him back. It felt so inappropriate, forbidden even, but shit, I couldn't help it.

When he was sure I wouldn't do something stupid—like punch him again, he let go of my hands and placed them around his neck, never breaking the kiss. I drew him closer as though he wasn't close enough, touching his chest and down to his toned abs. Last night event was flied out of the window, forgotten and forgiven—at least for now—as we got our focus elsewhere.

I broke the kiss only to gasp for air. He moved to kiss my chin, then all over my jaw. "I want to take you here." He whispered huskily, didn't even hide the lust in his eyes when he looked at me. "Or you prefer bedroom?"

"Such a gentleman." I mocked.

"I am." He murmured on my neck, pulling his shirt I was on up to my waist. But before he could do anything further, someone cleared her throat, startled us both. We turned our heads at the same time only to find the interrupter standing across the room. The woman grinned as I tried to straighten my clothes, made me more embarrassed.

"What are you doing here, Hailey?" Edward asked calmly. It was calm before storm, let me tell you.

Either she didn't sense it or it didn't affect her, because then she teased him. "Oh, don't look so upset, cousin."

* * *

 **:)**


	10. Chapter 10

_"_ _I got you where I want you."_

 _—_ _Blackest Day, Lana_

* * *

Either she didn't sense it or it didn't affect her, because then she teased him. "Oh, don't look so upset, cousin."

He shot her a murderous look. But the woman grinned wider as though she was enjoying his reaction. She was freaking insane. Which now I was convinced that this was genetic thing. I got up to sitting position when Edward stepped away from me to face his cousin fully. "Don't tempt me to ban you from my house." He threatened, arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, I'm wounded." She dramatically replied before turned to me. Those eyes lit up like Christmas tree. Her excitement scared me a little. Again, it kinda reminded me of Edward. The man was only going to do bad things when he was excited. "Well, hi. I think we've met before. What's your name again?" I hadn't said my name at that time, but I decided to play along. She was someone I didn't wanna mess with. This whole family was sickly crazy.

"It's Bella." I said. But that probably wasn't the case because then she gave me a naughty look.

"I'm surprised my ass cousin keeps you around." She smirked, clearly amused. Edward rolled his eyes. He was known to have zero patience.

"Straight to the point, Hails. Or I'll have my people drag you out of here."

She pouted.

"Fine. I want to tell you that Jamie hosts a party at three."

"I heard that." His eyebrow furrowed, indicating her to go on.

"He wants you to come." She added, shrugging nonchalantly. But Edward didn't buy it. He looked at her suspiciously instead. Of course, trust was a big issue in this dirty world, especially for someone like him. The man didn't miss anything. Even if it was just a slight strange tone.

"You're hiding something." It was a statement, not a question.

"I'm not." She replied quickly.

His expression morphed into a sly one the moment he seemed to understand something.

"Ah, what did you two bet this time?"

Hailey huffed in annoyance as she realized he could see right through her. Then decided there was no use hiding it from him because the man could read everyone's mind. "Fine. He bet diamond." She said, restless and eager. "You know it's my fucking weakness. How could I say no to that?"

"And if you lose?" he asked with such disinterest. As if this thing happened all the time.

"He'll get one of my Claude Monet's."

"Which one?"

" _The Magpie_."

He tsked, shaking his head in disappointment. "Such a waste. You made an abrupt decision, Hails. Don't you remember you waited three years to get that painting?"

"I don't fucking care, Edward. Not when the fucker offered me Argyle Pink Jubilee!"

"The fuck?" Edward's face was shocked as hell it was almost comical. But I didn't think it was appropriate to laugh when they two had serious conversation.

"I don't even know Jamie has it until now. Damn it, can you imagine that beautiful thing? The color is rare, for God's sake. I have to win this."

Edward was silent for a half minute, deep in thought.

"The bet... it's not about me coming to his party or not, right?" he concluded.

Hailey shook her head.

"Nah. It's about her." She gave a gesture toward me with his head. What? "I don't know what his intention is, but he wants her to come."

Another beat of silence followed. It was kinda surprising how the situation turned out. I just sat there awkwardly, waiting for them to say or do something. I would never understand these rich people's games. They wasted big money as though it had no value.

I glanced at Hailey. It was obvious that she craved for the diamond. She looked like she was dying to run to me and drag me by my hair while the other hand, Edward seemed irritated. He was thinking, guessing Jamie's motive in his head. Just like me.

The stillness went a bit too long. They waited for each other and I felt like myself prepared for something bad that would possibly come. Then, it snapped. Hailey made a move as Edward made a sign to the bodyguards standing by door that I just realized existed. Two suited men were on her sides instantly. And she was held back right before she reached me. Damn, this shit was scary.

"Edward." Her tone was venom. Eyes full of flames and hatred, knowing what he was about to do. "Don't fucking do this to me." She spat.

"He knows I will say no." He replied, grabbing my hand and half-dragging me upstairs.

She was totally furious. "Edward, I need the diamond!" she shouted. "Edward! Let go of me you stupid ass!"

We could still hear her furious yells even when we were back in his bedroom with door closed, screaming something about killing or mutilating him. Which he just laughed it off. Great, now I was trapped between their wars.

"Your family is sick." I couldn't help but saying it out loud.

"You don't even know the half of it." He winked, striding toward me casually. I knew what he was trying to do. And the clearer my mind was right now, the more I was alert. I admitted I regretted what had almost happened between us back then at the kitchen. It was a reckless act. This man was a freaking monster for fucks sake. I shouldn't have responded him. Damn it, what possessed me to do that?

"Betting is a usual thing in this family?" I asked, trying to divert his attention. But he was man on a mission. Those emeralds were staring at me intently. Dark of lust. So infectious I wanted kiss him again. He could always hypnotize me with that stare alone.

"Just the three of us. We are obsessed about it. We bet on almost everything." He replied. Smooth and deep. It sounded too seductive in my ears. It was amazing how he could make me forget about his evil behavior instantly.

"Oh." I lost my voice when he was right in front of me. His cold finger traced my neck, leaving goose bumps all over my skin.

I responded without thinking. Bringing my hand to his chest to feel his inks against my palms. It was a mistake yet a pleasure. I was hesitant yet so sure.

When he pulled me to him, I let him. I was aware I was playing with danger as our lips met halfway. The kiss was way more intense. Rough and vicious.

But not for long.

I made a sudden move as soon as he let his guard down. The knife that was hidden behind my back, beneath my shirt, the one I brought from the kitchen, was now against his neck. This was a smart yet stupid move. Well, it was better than nothing, right? I was so desperate to get away from this hellhole.

If he was surprised, he covered it well.

"Don't touch me." I hissed. But it didn't come out as strong as I wanted it to be.

"I already have." He smirked mockingly. My frustration was his amusement. I pressed the knife further to remind him who got the upper hand, but the man didn't seem worried at all. Let alone scared. "What will you do with the knife, _bellissima_? You don't even know how to hold it." He chuckled. I hated that he could bring me down that easily.

"I can kill you." I warned him, but the man looked at me funny.

"Isn't it too early to say that?" his grin was wicked as he grasped my wrist forcefully. I tried to fight him but he was definitely stronger. The sleek, sharp thing was now turned against my carotid instead of his. He wasn't hesitant as he pushed it deeper, making me lean away as far as I could and taking a step back involuntarily. But the knife followed. It was already too late when I realized he did this intentionally. The moment the back of my knees hit the side of the bed, I knew I was fucked up. Shit. No way to go. "Let me teach you how to use it, _sweetheart_ , because I'm so good at it." He whispered darkly, pushing me down to the bed with the knife still against my neck.

I was so dumb thinking I would win. The man had scars to prove his experiences for God's sake. Hell, I was nothing compared to his enemies yet I had the nerve to give it a try. Yeah, when you were desperate, you became unrealistic.

"Or we can do something more fun." He said suggestively. Dark eyes were full of mischief. I gulped loudly. "C'mere, give me your lips."

Damn it.

He raised an eyebrow when I didn't do it immediately. And the cold blade on my neck was a reminder of what he was capable of.

I hated that I gave up and leaned in, brushing my lips against his slowly before he captured it into a sweet, deadly kiss. The desire in those emeralds was crystal clear, making me wonder if he could see it in mine too.

He drew the knife lower, shushing me when I protested. The tip of the blade teased my collarbone. And I held my breath as it went down to rip off the shirt I was wearing. The sound was maddening, but his eyes, his eyes were crazy. I was watching him taking my curve and exposed skin. His stare was fire. Lust, but something more. Then he ran the cold metal all over my body, leaving me shivered and aroused.

We locked eyes for a moment before he kissed me one more time. The knife was put away for good and I liked how his hands replaced it instead. He touched and touched and touched as if it was never enough. Hands on my waist, lips on my neck. Making me sigh at the contact.

"You're driving me crazy here, _bellissima_." He whispered hoarsely.

I wanted to object him. _No, I'm not. You are._

He tugged my bra then buried his face between my breasts. Kissed and kissed and kissed before licking it, sucking it. I moaned and he smirked against my skin. His fingers went lower, grazing down my thigh and up to my pussy. He rubbed it slightly before sliding the panties down. "Let me have you." He almost begged, pecking my lips one, two, three times then looked at me in the eye. The man could be so persuasive, it was impossible to ignore him. "I'll make you feel so good, baby." He said, watching my reaction from time to time as he slipped one finger into my pussy. I whimpered in ecstasy. "So fucking wet." He hummed, sliding it in and out. On and on and on. Until I couldn't take it anymore. "Look at me." He demanded as I was about to reach my orgasm. I didn't. I couldn't. But he abruptly stopped so I did. He was watching me as I came and those eyes, those eyes would forever haunt me in my sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

_"_ _We don't need nobody cause we get each other, or at least I pretend."_

 _—_ _Body Electric, Lana_

* * *

His eyes were burning me slowly. I couldn't think. I couldn't decide. Of what was right or wrong. Of what was appropriate or not. One thing I knew was I had this strong pull towards him. Something I couldn't refuse even though I had tried to. It was like he was trapping me under his spell and I was a willing prisoner.

This was definitely crazy.

He moved closer as if we weren't close enough. Lips were kissing my skin, up and down tickling the spot below my ear. I moaned breathlessly, earning a smirk from him. "Let me feel more, _bellissima_." He gripped my hips, grinding his erection against my pussy to emphasize his point. God, it felt amazing. And he still had his pants on.

"Edward…" I begged desperately. Those emeralds turned even darker.

"I'll fuck you so good, _babygirl_." He breathed on my lips, drawing a lazy circle on my hipbone with his thumb. Didn't he know he was killing me here?

"Do it." I replied, looking right into his eyes. Swallowing me into the flames of desire. But the man unexpectedly got off the bed, grinning when he saw me narrow my eyes.

"So impatient, huh?" he teased, going straight to the nightstand and pulling out something from the drawer. Right, condom. He stripped off quickly and his cock stood big and proud, seeking for attention. Damn it. How could it be so…huge? I mean, shit, I wasn't sure it would fit. He soon joined me on the bed, back to his position hovering over me. I gulped down my saliva as he rolled out the condom. Couldn't even tear my gaze away from it…

He rubbed his cock against my slit. I threw my head back, overwhelmed by the feeling. This was too freaking good. His lips kissed along my jaw while the tip of his cock drew a circle on my opening, spreading the wetness. "Look at me." He demanded huskily. I looked up just as I felt him push in slowly. My expression totally matched his. "Fuck, you're tight."

His cock filled me like nobody else and it was just the head for God's sake. I held onto his shoulders, scratching the skin as he pushed deeper yet slower.

"Oh, God." I moaned, feeling my insides squeezing the hell out of him. The sensation was new to me. I had never felt like this before. He pressed his forehead to mine, breathing heavily.

"You're killing me, _bellissima_." He grunted. I didn't have a chance to reply because he pushed harder this time until his cock was fully inside. "Shit."

"Ah, Edward, it's so…"

"I know, _baby_ , I know." He moved, going into steady rhythms, pushing so fucking deep, touching a spot I didn't even know existed. His fingers were fumbling with my breast while his lips were kissing my collarbone. The man knew what he was doing. He pumped harder. In and out, in and out, until I felt my orgasm building. My eyes were locked at where we were joined. The sight of him fucking me like this was enough to send me over the edge. My pussy clenched around him and he responded by fucking me faster. "Yeah, cum for me, _bellissima_." He grunted hoarsely while I came undone beneath him. Crying out as he was riding my orgasm.

I felt so tired when I came down from my high. My eyes were heavy I barely kept them open. He chuckled evilly, slowing his movement before pulling out his still hard as rock cock. "You know I'm not finished."

"Give me a minute." I said, slightly begging. He didn't have any of it because he then flipped me over and yanked me by waist, pulling me up to my knees. His hands groped my ass roughly, making me yelp in pain and pleasure while his monstrous cock filled me without warning. "Ah, fuckkk!"

"You like that, _baby_?" he pumped into me one more time and I became so sensitive of his touch. The sound of our slapping thighs was so loud in my ear while his cock sunk deeper of each pass. Hitting the spot I loved the most. I didn't last long, of course. "Already, huh?" he teased as he felt my insides contracting. I came hard, but he fucked me even harder. It was driving me crazy.

"Edward, ah, ah, fuck….please, please." I panted incoherently, needing him to stop before I reached another orgasm. My knees felt so weak and my body was exhausted. But the man gripped my hips firmly, still fucking me with no mercy.

"Fuck, you're so fucking wet." He grunted when I burst for the third time. I nearly collapsed onto the bed if it wasn't for his tight hold. Hell, I didn't even have the strength to lift my head right now. My cheek was against the pillow and my eyes were tightly closed. When I was sure I was going to pass out, his movement became frantic and faster, telling me that he was so close. "Fuck, _bellissima_ , I'm gonna…fuckkkkk." he jerked one, two, three times before shot his cum inside me.

* * *

I was awoken to the sound of him snoring softly and his hand draped over my waist. I blinked a few times to adjust the darkness. The curtains were drawn tonight showing me the full moon and the mystery it was carried. I didn't stare long because my attention was back to Edward's peaceful face. I had never seen him like this before. He looked almost…adorable.

My eyes moved down to his torso, scanning his permanent inks curiously. It was a giant moth in the middle surrounded by the roses. It was beautiful, yet looked dead and sad at the same time. When I stared more closely, I could find some words like _sorry_ , _my_ _angel forever_ , and _missed you_ carved inside the moth tattoo. They were almost unnoticeable in the sea of black inks, but they were there. Such sweet words, in contrast to the dark hidden meaning behind the moth and roses. If these were dedicated to a person, it was obvious that he loved this person so dearly. I couldn't help but wondering who it was. Then, right on his heart, there were an hourglass tattoo and Roman numeral 'XIX' just below it. Yeah, Edward was the man full of secrets.

I moved a little, craning my neck to get a look of a beautiful woman tattoo on his upper arm when all of sudden his hand gripped my elbow. Those eyes were open, red and careful, scanning the room in anticipated gesture. After he was sure there was nothing dangerous going on and the fact that it was only me, his body was relaxed. "Habit, sorry." He grinned lazily before rubbing my lower back.

"No wonder you always looked like you never had enough sleep." I snorted.

"I slept just fine." He mumbled. For a moment none of us said anything. I would think he went back to sleep if not for the constant rubbing on my back. "Do you hate me, _bellissima_?" he asked, out of the blue. My body tensed up, recalling what had happened between us. From the first time we met until this minute. "Ah, of course, you do." He added as if sensing my hatred. Then he leaned away a little to inspect my reaction at his next question. "Do you prefer I killed you, though?" I wasn't prepared for that. My eyes widened as panic overtook me. This apparently amused him. "Well, I think it's a no."

I tried to calm my breaths while he was watching me intently. And as soon as I gained my composure, I asked him. "Do you want to?"

"Right now? No, of course not." His lips quirked a little. He was about to open his mouth to continue when his phone on the bedside table vibrated loudly.

He got up and sat on the side of the bed, answering the call. His back was on me. It was bare for the world to see. Which was mostly covered by the grim reaper tattoo sitting on the throne with—confusingly—large angel's wings. One of his hands carried a scary scythe while the other was held out. I couldn't help but staring hard at the image. Amazed and stupefied and thinking about the meaning. Until Edward's irritated voice caught my attention.

"….yeah, you have problem with that?" laughing humorlessly. "…no, can't promise I'll share…" I could almost hear his smirk. What was he talking about? "Shut the fuck up, J, it was your fault…" J? Was it Jamie? "...asshole. Just give Hailey the fucking diamond before she steals it from you…" I could imagine him roll his eyes. "You know she will…whatever, fucker, I'm hanging up."

He put his phone back to the bedside table before turned to me, holding out his hand and looking at me mischievously. "Let's take a shower."

* * *

 **love you guys xx**


	12. Chapter 12

_"_ _Loving you is hard. Being here is harder."_

 _—_ _High on the Beach, Lana_

* * *

"Tell me about yourself." He said, interrupting my morning musings. We were in his room, just sitting comfortably on the couch naked while watching the magnificent view of sunrise from this huge glass wall.

"Oh, you didn't do background check on me?" I asked playfully. He definitely did, I knew it. The man was smart and careful. His hand didn't stop stroking my hair to smoothen the mess, unsurprised by the question.

"I did. But it's not much." He kissed my shoulder blade, licking the skin after.

"My life's pretty boring." I sighed as soon as I felt his arms encircle my waist from behind. Such a sweet gesture. It was either that or seductive these days. This guy was an enigma. He could be hot now and ice cold a minute later. Sane then psychotic the next time. We would never know when his crazy side decided to show up.

I didn't turn around, admiring the changed sky before me instead. The view somehow gave me calm. "Mine's too." He replied, trailing his nose through my neck.

"Really?" it was a rhetorical question and I was glad he didn't answer it.

For a brief time no one said anything. We were just enjoying the moment. The scenery. The embrace. The touches. I held back a moan as he nibbled my earlobe. "You're so soft." He breathed on my skin, making me shiver.

I tilted my head to the side and met his lips halfway. His arms pulled me into his lap, bringing me closer until his bare chest was flush against my back. He broke the kiss as it got too heated, kinda ignored his obvious hard-on against my ass. We knew I was still sore as fuck right now. We barely left the room for three days.

We ended up cuddling on the couch for God knows how long. Our legs tangled in comfortable position. I was curled in his hug with my head on his chest. His fingers were twirling my hair while mine was tracing the lines of his tattoos on and on and on. He knew how fascinated I was by them.

The abrupt raps on the door broke our connection, followed by the familiar voice. "Bella? Are you still alive?" Hailey yelled from the other side. Actually, it didn't sound like she was concerned about my well being. She was just simply curious. When there was no response, she added. "Edward Anthony Masen, open the door! I come in peace!"

Edward rolled his eyes at that, mumbling something about how she wasn't going to stop until she got what she wanted. He shifted me aside so he could get up and unlock the door. As soon as it was opened, the woman walked into the room, bringing lots of paper bags in her hands. She was wearing a short white t-shirt dress matched up with a pair of sneakers. Her hair was on Dutch braid pigtails and her expensive-looking sunglasses was pushed onto her head.

"God, you're so gross. Put some clothes for fucks sake!" she scolded when she found his naked state. Then just passing through him to put all the paper bags on the table. There were about ten huge paper bags with various designer brands written at the front. "Well, hello again, Bella. I hope you didn't take our last meeting to the heart." She greeted, smiling widely.

"Don't trust her. She's unstable." Edward chimed in with no trace of joke.

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes, turning her attention back at me. "Since my asshole cousin doesn't have that much money to buy you some clothes, so I did."

"Very funny." Edward grunted as he crossed the room, disappearing inside his massive walk-in closet.

"Thank you, but you don't have to do this." I said, feeling uncomfortable by her kindness.

"It's nothing, really." She waved her hand casually.

"Whose money you stole this time?" Edward cut in, getting out of the closet dressing in white shirt and hybrid shorts. He smirked as he found me ogling.

"Don't be rude, Edward. I'm trying my best to fix her impression toward me here." She grumbled.

"She's not easy to deceive, Hails." He laughed.

"Whatever. Jamie is waiting for us in the kitchen."

"I bet." He snorted, exiting the room. Leaving me alone with her.

"Get dress. It's a nice weather to be outside." Hailey said to me.

* * *

I'd never think to be outside meant here, on luxury yacht in the middle of the sea. This was totally insane. Seemed like they had the world under their feet. Money. Power. They made everything look so easy.

I couldn't stop looking around in awe because, hell, I could never afford this kind of life. The view was amazing. Blue was surrounding us, tempting me with its waves.

Hailey pulled her t-shirt dress over the head, revealing a black bikini underneath while Jamie was already shirtless, sipping his drink on the deck. His wild curly hair was now tied in a man bun. Edward was smoking beside him, getting relaxed and comfortable. The three of them looked like they really belonged here. Just rich people doing their usual spare-time activities.

"Remember when Edward injured his back because he tried to do a backflip?" Hailey said out of the blue, grinning from ear to ear as Edward groaned loudly. The glint of amusement was clear in her eyes. She was crazily fearless. And sometimes, I admired her for that.

"Yeah. He cried like a baby." Jamie snickered. If he wasn't his cousin, I was sure as hell Edward would kill him for that. The way the three of them interacted kind of scared me. It was intentional they were pushing each other's buttons

"Fuck you, I didn't." Edward grunted, blowing a ring of smoke skillfully.

"I bet my Maserati you still can't do it." She said only to fuel him, raising an eyebrow in challenge. These rich people had to be so fucking bored with their lives. I was watching them in silence. Just like an outsider in their circle.

"Uninterested. I've collected your cars enough, Hails." Edward sneered, making Jamie laugh out loud.

She huffed before dragging me into their conversation. It was unexpected move and I wasn't prepared for her question. "How can you stand a coward, Bella?" Jamie and Edward turned to me at the same time as though they just realized I had been here the whole time. I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

"She's just giving up, Hails, that's how." Jamie replied, smirking. Those blues teased me with its charm, inviting me in.

"You fuckers are too old for this shit." Edward scoffed, put the cigarette between his lips, taking another drag.

"That's the truth. Seriously, no one can stand you." She replied blatantly, earning an eye roll from him.

"I don't think she can, though." Jamie added. "Poor girl has no choice."

"What's the story, huh? Are you forcing her, Edward?" She crossed her arms over her chest disapprovingly. They were talking about me like I wasn't here. But it was her words that reminded me why I ended up here at the first place.

"Edward Masen has no limits, sister." Jamie chuckled like it was obvious. Like this wasn't new to him.

"Well, none of that is your fucking business, cousins." He spat, then locking eyes with me. Only for a split seconds because I looked away. I couldn't stand the intensity of his gaze.

"Careful, B, no men in this family is a keeper type." Hailey warned me as if it was important for me to know.

"Stop it, Hails, you scare her." Jamie said.

"What? I need to inform her before I find her corpse at the backyard." Her sly grin appeared as my body stiffened, terrified at the mental images. How casual she said it made me realize this thing was usual in their family.

"You won't." Edward replied, but his face wasn't convincing. Even for me. "I don't plan to kill her." Our eyes met once again.

 _Yet_.

* * *

 **;)**


	13. Chapter 13

_"_ _You're screwed up and brilliant."_

 _—_ _Lana_

* * *

For the last few days I lived in the house like a ghost. Watching everything around me happen but couldn't do anything about it. Edward was back to his business. Gone most of the day, we almost never saw each other. He usually came home at three in the morning, taking a shower in adjoined bathroom, and going straight to sleep beside me or spending his time in his office. Sometimes he would wake me up and we had sex. Then, of course, he was gone before nine in the morning to do only God knows what. It now became a perfect pattern. The longer I was here, the less interaction we had. And this always left me wondering what had been running through his mind.

The man was so complex. Like a puzzle I was itched to rearrange.

One time he acted like he needed me the most, but then he treated me like I was just a fucking dust in his house.

He was bitter and sweet. Kind, but evil.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, I was alone. If I was lucky, Paul would join me in the kitchen. But our conversation had been kept to a minimum. So I stopped asking him about anything. Right now it became a sick, tiring cycle.

I skipped lunch. Decided to have early dinner only to break my boring routine. I walked downstairs, surprisingly found Paul behind the stove, cooking Mexican food. Yeah, because today was Friday.

He slid in a plate of nachos as soon as I sat on the barstool. Then, continued to make some burritos. The only sound in the room was a hiss from the frying pan as he mixed the ingredients together. I ate silently. He cooked silently. It was uncomfortable but I was used to it. .

His phone rang suddenly, and I almost jumped because of it. Paul checked the caller id before swiped the screen. His face was impassive, but the crease in his forehead showed.

"Yes, Boss?" he greeted.

It piqued my curiosity. Was it Edward?

Paul turned to me. "Yes, she's here." He replied. The look on his face somehow made me uneasy. He seemed confused for a second but put the phone on speaker anyway.

"How are you, _principessa_?"

It was impossible to not recognize the voice.

"Jamie?"

"Ah, you remember." I could picture his amused smirk from here. What did he want? "What are you doing in the castle over there?"

"Nothing."

"Pretty boring, huh?" he chuckled.

 _When you were a prisoner, it was._

"Come to my place." He said all of a sudden, grinning. I raised my eyebrow at Paul who sighed quietly. "Paul will drive you here." It was a command, not an offer. I and Paul shared the same hesitant look. He was as confused as I was right now. "Or I can get Jas to pick you up." Jamie added, didn't leave us a choice. This family was so freaking demanding.

"I'll drive her." Paul replied.

I saw his evil smile before heard his voice. "Good. See you, _principessa_."

And I had a feeling it would be a fucking bad idea.

* * *

His place was massive. Very much like Edward's but in more modern way. Paul parked the Range Rover in the driveway while I was looking around. From the greenest grass to the beautiful fountain and the house itself. If not for the expensive clothes Hailey gave me, I would totally look out of place.

Jas greeted us as soon as we hopped out the car, wearing his usual black clothes.

"He's waiting for you inside." He said to me, straight to the point as freaking usual. "And I need to talk to Paul for a moment if you don't mind."

 _I did really mind._

"What does he want from me?" I couldn't help but asking. Something about being around these people made me really nervous. And of course, as a new player, I was always oblivious of their games.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Jas replied with a raised eyebrow. Yes, I completely forgot the fact that I was surrounded by assholes.

Paul seemed reluctant to let me go by myself, but in the end couldn't do anything about it.

I entered the house hesitantly, surprised to find it filled as though someone was throwing a party. The beat drop of the music was loud in the background. Girls were in their bikinis or less, champagne in hand. Their eyes were curious. As if they were aware I was unfamiliar face. To make the situation less awkward for me, I walked past them coolly. Toward a huge sitting room with the view of the sea. And more girls. They were like, everywhere. Snorting a line on the coffee table, smoking joint in the corner, skinny dipping in the pool outside…God, this was such a mess. What if the police suddenly barged in?

I found Jamie sitting on couch with a console game in hand, didn't even give a flying fuck about what happened around him. So different from Edward who was organized and in order.

He put the game on pause and turned to me, smirking when he saw me in my jeans and boots. "Have a seat, _principessa_."

"Prisoner." I corrected him. He laughed his ass off. When I found nothing funny about it…

"What can I get you, girl?" he offered once his laughter died down, giving a sign to one of the girls who stood up right away. She looked annoyed, but faking a smile anyway.

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, I insist." He replied, signaling the girl to grab a drink for me. She did it dutifully. Coming back with a beautiful soft purple colored cocktail in hand. I finally took it after she huffed impatiently. "Drink, Bella."

"What's in it?" I couldn't help but asking.

"Try it." I sipped. And wow, it was surprisingly good. He chuckled at my reaction. "You have plan tonight?"

No, absolutely not. What did he think? I barely had a say in my life anymore. It was such a rhetorical question.

"Why?"

"I think we should visit Edward."

* * *

I didn't like the reflection I saw in the mirror. No, not that I looked ugly or something, it was just… Hell, I didn't know what to say. The dress I was wearing right now was short and silver and backless, with glittering crystal and extreme plunging in front. It was such a daring, jaw-dropping, provocative dress. Skin was everywhere. I got my lilac grayish hair tied in stylish high ponytail and my makeup done flawlessly. It was so bold, yet so seductive. But damn, I looked so trashy. I couldn't go out like this.

The door was suddenly open, revealing the navy suited Jamie behind it. His blonde curls were tied in man bun and he got both hands tucked inside the pocket of his pants. He looked so hot and handsome, a bit messy but still presentable.

"Are you ready, _princess_?" his naughty smirk appeared as those eyes scanned my body shamelessly.

"No. Never. No, Jamie. I can't go out like this." I said, pleading. He approached me casually and I unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself. This was just not right. Why did everyone have to be so mean?

His finger lifted up my chin. I had no choice but looking straight into his eyes. "You're perfect to me." He uttered. It didn't sound soothing in my ears. It was more like he just informed that this was what he wanted. That I should go by his rules.

"Please, can I cover myself a little—"

"No." He refused, grabbing my wrist in the process. "Let the world see you."

* * *

An hour later Jamie's matte black BMW i8 stopped in the driveway of what looked like an elite and exclusive nightclub in Tampa, Black Moon. The bouncer let us pass through the VIP entrance. He nodded his head at Jamie in acknowledge. "Boss." Then of course, staring at my outfit and exposed skin. God. It would be a long fucking night.

I inched closer to Jamie involuntarily as we made our way inside. He chuckled beside me. As if my reaction entertained him. This guy was just as crazy.

The club was well packed. And it looked like it was made for the rich people and elites. Clearly not my scene. Jamie stopped here and there, greeting back a few people genuinely—something that Edward wouldn't even bother to do—and I would be hiding behind him because the look I was getting at every corner. Great, now everyone might think I was one of sluts. I didn't blame them, though. I dressed like one.

"Can we go home, please?" I slightly begged, tugging his elbow when we were finally alone.

"I'd like to. But don't you think it's a little rude if we don't greet the owner?" he winked. I hoped there was a hole appeared beneath me and swallowed me whole. "Edward will be so happy to see you." He assured with a glint of amusement. I knew it. I knew he was plotting something.

He took my hand and linked it to his arm as we went upstairs. To a total different world. An extremely private area. There were so many security guards here. So I bet my life these people inside were important. Rich, powerful, and important.

The guard opened the double door for us and Jamie walked into the room, pulling me along with him. It was filled by at least fifteen people, excluding the waitresses and the bartender.

"Well, well, well, where have you been, Mr. J?" One of the men said as soon as he found us entering. His words made the others divert their attention to Jamie. Then to _me_. I felt so uncomfortable under their curious, hungry gazes.

"Gentlemen." Jamie greeted them with a wide grin while I looked down, totally embarrassed. He then took a seat on the black leather coach, tugging me to sit on his lap. Was he serious? At the freaking same time I sensed a move from my peripheral eyes. Turning my head, I was met by furious green eyes.

Edward looked so perfect, dressed in black suit minus the tie. Hair was in usual disarray, a drink in hand. His stare was dark and intense, raking over me from head to toe. There was desire there, but also anger. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.

"Who is this sexy lady? I've never seen her before." Another man asked with such interest, making me nauseous.

"Name is Bella." Jamie grinned, putting his hand on my knee nonchalantly. Edward's hand twitched a little. The man had been dangerously calm. Still, his emeralds…those screamed murder.

"Ah, it suits her." Much older man said, winking at me. I almost cringed.

"Indeed." Jamie added before turning to Edward. "What do you think, _dear cousin_?" My body tensed as I felt his hand creeping up to my thigh. Edward was trying so hard to keep his composure. Jaw hardened and those eyes were _so_ , so cold. I shivered.

"Exquisite." He replied in I-don't-give-a-fuck tone. It apparently didn't fool Jamie because then the man smirked knowingly.

"Oh, you don't like her?" he inquired, placing a soft kiss on my bare shoulder. Those green eyes darkened immediately.

And just like that, we all now became aware of the changing atmosphere. The silence was heavy and deafening. Edward's mood worsened as the clock ticked by, but Jamie was enjoying every second of it. I didn't fucking dare to move while the others were just watching their exchange and shifting uncomfortably. When I was almost sure, the hell would break loose, a familiar voice cut in. Hailey, the lifesaver. "How can you all start the party without me?" she pouted, drawing the attention to herself which I was so thankful for.

The minute those men were occupied by her company, Edward snatched me from Jamie. He let him, smiling widely. "You will pay for this, J." He warned before we were out of the room.


	14. Chapter 14

**Don't hate Edward. He was just frustrated ;)**

* * *

 _"_ _You don't want to be like me. Don't want to see all the things I've seen."—Lana_

Edward was livid. He looked like he wanted to kill someone really, really bad. The drive to the house was extremely tense. He didn't say anything and I didn't dare to. Keeping my mouth shut was the best option. As soon as we arrived home, I was going upstairs. Okay, probably ran. To the bedroom I knew too well. The only place I preferred to be right now. I felt safer somehow. The view outside made me calm. And the familiar surroundings made me less anxious. Well, it was…before Edward walked in.

His presence ruined all.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" He snapped after closing the door with a loud thud, making me wince. With the left courage I had, I looked up to those cold green eyes. Because no, this was not my fault. He had no right to be angry with me.

"What? Me? What's wrong with you?" I pointed out. Being here with him was scary enough. Let alone having this angry conversation. "You are aware Jamie did this intentionally!"

"Why were you with him at the first place?!"

"Fucking ask Paul." I spat venomously. "This game between you two is stupid and childish, Edward. Don't drag me into it." There, he made me say it out loud.

His expression changed all of a sudden. The man in front of me looked so distant and terrifying. I was brave, but afraid. "I can fucking do what I want." He narrowed his eyes, far from pleased. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Shaking his head, he added while laughed humorlessly. "You're crazy if you think you're more than a random whore to _me_."

His words stung, but I fixed my reaction. "You don't mean it." I said, holding my chin up. I didn't know why I said it. It just came out.

An evil smirk playing on his lips as he waved his hand over me. "Well, look at _you_."

"No, I'm not some fucking random whore to you." I stated, refusing to believe his words. This was like a denial. Hell, I didn't know. I was just thinking he only did it to hurt me. Because if I really were a random whore to him, he would let Jamie parade me in front of everyone.

"You think so highly of yourself, _bellissima_." He approached me slowly. Hatred and something more in those emeralds.

"Why are you keeping me here?" I asked, shaking off the tremble in my voice. "Why don't you kill me already then?" He seemed to be startled for a second before covering it with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Be grateful. I'm doing you a favor—" I slapped him hard across his cheek.

It took him by surprise, but his response was immediate. The last thing I expected him to do was wrapping his hand around my neck. I grabbed, scratched, pulled his arm as he put the pressure around my throat. His eyes became wicked and scary, watching me gasping for breath in silence. It felt like forever and I began to stop fighting him out of exhaustion. When I was sure I would pass out—or die—he loosened his grasp. I coughed hard as the air filled my lungs. My hand gripped his forearm tightly to keep my balance.

"Stop making me angry." He whispered harshly before letting me go. I watched as he turned away and left the room. My tear rolled down at the same time he slammed the door.

* * *

I stripped off my dress and shoes, untied my hair, and removed my makeup. With a fresh clean oversized t-shirt on my body, I was standing in front of the bathroom vanity. A tired, pathetic face was staring back at me. With a red mark along her neck. Shaking as recalling the event that just happened. After everything, I thought he changed. Now I thought I was too naïve.

I felt the need to lay down when the weariness became too much. But the bed was too far away and the bathtub was closer. So I sat there, drawing my knees to my chest for God knows how long. The emptiness surrounded me and I welcomed it. What did I do to deserve this?

Hours passed, but I was wide awake. The sound of the door being opened and his footsteps echoed. Deep down I hoped he didn't bother searching for me. That he would let me be. But universe had to hate me. I held my breath the moment he came into the bathroom. And before I knew it, he was standing over me. He said nothing as I sat still. Then all of a sudden his toned arms were under my knees and around my back. Goosebumps were all over my skin at the contact. I was lifted up and carried out of the bathroom. To the bed that felt cold beneath me.

He reached back to pull on his shirt. Shoes and pants off. Only in his boxer shorts when he joined beside me. I turned my back because I had enough of this shit. But Edward pulled me in his embrace. His leg draped over mine, drawing me closer. His bare chest was against my back. His finger lightly touched the redness around my neck before his lips followed. He mouthed _sorry_ over and over again. I closed my eyes and tried to forget.

* * *

I expected him to be gone by the time I woke up. But, no. Although the digital clock on the bedside table read 11:30, Edward was still here, snuggling to me, breathing evenly. I tried to remove his hand on my waist carefully, but the movement disturbed his sleep. I knew he was now awake because then he tightened his hold, burying his face deeper in the nape of my neck.

"Where are you going?" he mumbled groggily, palm was now flat against my navel. "Stay here." His breath tickled. I sighed. With a flick of finger, he turned warm and sweet, making me wish last night didn't happen.

"Which one is the real you?" I asked out of the blue. Because this thing was so fucking confusing. "You almost killed me. Again." Edward was silent, but I knew his eyes were wide open now. He heard me.

I heard him sigh as I touched my neck. Turning me to face him, I was met by a sea of tattoos. They distracted me long enough before I could focus at his eyes. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. So I was the one who did the talking.

"Did you kill Jacob?" The name tasted bitter on my tongue. But the way he reacted was worth it.

"Don't. Don't fucking start, _bellissima_." His tone was acid. Jaw stiffened. He knew what I was doing. Still, this wasn't enough.

"Yeah, I'm just a lonely whore who has no one." I added with thick of sarcasm. He closed his eyes briefly, muttering _fuck_ under his breath.

"I said I was sorry." He gritted his teeth. Emeralds were sad, but at the same time clouded by anger.

"Yeah, easy, I'm a forgiver." I rolled my eyes. He ran his hand through that beautiful bronze hair, contemplating something. He looked scared for a second before looking straight into my eyes.

"If I let you, will you really go?" the words were out before I could comprehend. Like a dream between nightmare. Like cold water splashing my face. Was this for real? Did I hear it right?

"What do you mean—"

"You know exactly what I mean." He cut in, rolling his eyes. "You are free now. Go. No one's gonna stop you." His face told me he was one hundred percent serious. Was it guilt talking? Or was it just his way to fix things that got out of hand? "But, _sweetheart_ , the question is…do you really want to?" His eyes were searching for an answer, but I bet I looked far from determined.

Fuck, did I really want to? Of course I did…right? I wouldn't be stuck here again… I could do everything as I pleased…There was no Edward Masen in my life…God, why did I seem hesitant now?

"Do you want me to?" Yeah, I purposely dodged his question. This shit was harder than I thought.

"Honestly? No."

* * *

Hailey was in the kitchen, wearing a big smile on her face as she saw me descending the stairs. She was sporting a cropped gray sweater and skinny jeans today. And a very, very cute Pomeranian puppy was sitting on her lap. It was small and white. Damn, I really wanted to touch it.

"Ah, glad to see you alive." She said. I wanted to roll my eyes. What kind of greeting was that?

"Thank you." I scoffed, going straight to pour myself a coffee. It was the only thing who would keep me sane throughout the day. Well, after everything that happened.

"I feel you, B. Didn't expect you to be this strong, though." She admitted. As if I just did something that made her proud.

"I barely survive." I told her after gulping my coffee.

"Still." She shrugged, stroking the puppy's chin. "Don't you think you need a fucking break from this? I know how stressful it can be to be around those lunatics. We can go to the mall, you know, girls' day out." She offered. Actually it sounded like a good idea. She was right. I really needed a fucking break. "I think Edward will be okay with that. I'll let him know."

"What do you want me to know?" speaking of the devil…

Edward stood at the bottom of the stairs, wearing exactly the same boxer shorts and nothing at all. I actually wasn't ready to face him after that talk. Especially that question that I desperately tried to get away from. He approached me casually, then pouring himself a coffee.

"I and Bella will go shopping. I hope you don't mind." Hailey said cheerfully.

"You want to?" he turned to me, his hand reached to tuck strands of hair behind my ear.

"Of course, she does. She needs a fucking distraction to forget how much an ass my cousin and brother can be." She sneered. God, I adored her.

"I'm not talking to you, Hails."

"Yes, I want to." I replied, ending their argument.

"Alright. I'll give you the debit card."

"No need. Mama has so much cash in bag." She waved her hand dismissively before getting up from the barstool. "And don't think I will let you ease your guilt toward her. Remember that woman may forgive, but never forget, Edward."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Where's Paul by the way?" she abruptly asked, looking around us as if she just remembered something. There was a beat of silence before he answered.

"He's taking a day off."

She definitely didn't buy it. After a moment processing it, she put two and two together. Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Fuck, Edward. Tell me he's alive." She closed her eyes briefly, trying hard to tame her anger. "Because if you killed him, I swear to God, I'll fucking kill you.

"Lucky bastard." He murmured.

"You are such an asshole."

* * *

Hailey didn't lie when she said she had so much cash in bag. Because as soon as she put her leopard printed Audi R8 in parking at International Plaza and Bay Street, she pulled out wad of cash from five different wallets. Well, men's wallets to be exact. She then threw the money carelessly in her Hermѐs purse.

"What?" she raised an eyebrow as she found me stare.

"You—"

"Steal for living, yes." She was grinning, proud and pleased, to my surprise. My frown deepened. I didn't get it. Her family…wasn't she so rich already? "It's a talent and practice combined, B. I'll teach you someday. It's so fun and addicting."

"But why?"

"Because I'm a lazy bitch and suck at business, that's why." She explained.

When we went in to the mall, the first place we entered was salon. Hailey said she want to dye her hair a new color, which was rose gold. And her comment about how ugly and faded the color of my hair was made me dye my hair too. So yes, it was auburn now.

After spending a good amount of time in salon, we went shopping. And shopping with Hailey was new experience to me because this woman was so crazy. Gucci, Zara, Michael Kors, Victoria's Secret, every fucking store we walked out with at least five paper bags in hand. She bought almost everything she saw. Definitely crazy. By the end of the day, we went home with sixty paper bags. Thank God, she had her guards stand by anytime she needed them. It was impossible to carry those things without help.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the house. Hailey stopped the car in the driveway while her guards unloaded the stuffs we bought and brought them inside. I rubbed the sleepy puppy on the head. She seemed tired following us all day. She was almost sleeping on my lap.

"Thank you for today. It's a bit…refreshing." I said, earning a smile from her.

"Yeah, I haven't had a girl company for so long."

"No female friend, huh?"

She chuckled. "Nope."

"Alright, I think it's time to go. Goodbye, _baby_." I kissed the puppy before holding it out to Hailey, careful to make a minimal movement. I didn't want to disturb her. She was so cute.

"Take it. She's yours." She smirked.

"What?"

"An apology from my coward brother."


	15. Chapter 15

**EPOV**

"So, how was the gun shipment to Miami?" I asked, way too calm. But the look I gave was enough to make them gulp loudly. My men knew nothing good would come in this tone. The three of them exchanged gazes, pointing finger at each other to answer my question as my patience was wearing thin. _Of course_.

"Umm, Boss, we had a bit…trouble last night." One of them finally admitted. The tremor was visible as I glanced down at his hand. On the other hand, the other two men were eyeing the carpet of my office as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

I stood up and their body stiffened. Everyone knew how much I hated a messed up shipment. A flaw, an imperfection, was intolerable in this kind of business. Because there was a chance this thing we thought tiny was bigger than it looked. A mistake people often made—underestimating little things. Yeah, had learned from the best: _experience_.

"I heard." I pursued my lips in distaste, approaching them slowly. "Remind me again why it happened?"

Paul told me the whole story, but still. Even I couldn't fucking believe Alvarrez' had the gut to cross my business. I mean, it was just a small, mediocre gang which didn't have a name in mafia world for fucks sake, but look at what they had done. First Jacob Black and now this? These stupid motherfuckers clearly had death wish.

Although Alvarrez' would never stand a chance against my crew and last night was no big disaster, it didn't mean we didn't need to be more careful. Their actions last night were small and uncalculated, but who knew? Maybe later it would be bigger and more prepared. Yeah, had to fucking end them before they took it further.

"They…we…we were not aware they were there, Boss, the Alvarrez gang…"

"Yeah, and who the fuck informed them our location?!" I yelled, crashing the crystal glass against the wall beside them. They startled like crazy. God, I fucking hated it when my office got dirty.

"I—I swear we don't know."

There had to be a fucking mole in my organization.

"Find. The. Fucker." I hissed.

"Y—yes, Boss." They were white as ghost. Good. They knew the consequence.

I dismissed them and they were out of my sight instantly. I reached for my cell to dial Jamie, putting 'that Bella incident' behind. For now. I hadn't forgiven him for what he did to her and the fucker didn't bother to apologize. Whatever. He knew I would make him pay. He saw it coming.

"Yeah?"

"Don't fuck up tomorrow." Drug-trafficking could be tricky as hell if we were not careful. I needed to remind him sometimes because he was so cocky at his achievements. I knew his records were clean when it came to big money, still I didn't want him to be careless. There was a chance Alvarrez' would also try to mess my drug shipment tomorrow.

"Did I ever?"

I rolled my eyes at that.

"Yeah. Jacob Black."

"Ah. Small dealings. Besides, because of that, you met her. When it should be me. Fate was wicked." He said, before adding with a wide grin that I could almost see. "How's _my_ Bella doing?"

The word sounded so disturbing in my ears. And I knew Jamie did it purposely.

"Good."

"She likes the puppy?" God, the puppy, I fucking hated it remembering who gave it at the first place. "Tell her I said hello." He continued when I didn't say anything.

"Like hell." I scoffed. His chuckle was the last thing I heard before I hang up.

* * *

I descended the stone stairs that connected my swimming pool to the beach below. Where Bella most likely spent her day. Before this, I didn't find the use of this private access. But now, I was kinda glad I had it because she loved it so much.

I found her standing on the shore with that puppy snuggling in her neck. Yeah, they had been inseparable since she got her. Which annoyed the shit out of me. The white little thing tailed Bella everywhere. Sneaky fucker.

I stopped at the bottom of the stone stairs, the only thing that separated me from the sand—well, didn't want to get my shoes filled with it because it sucked—and almost groaned when I took a closer look of her. She was always playing a wicked game with bikinis. And today was no better for me. Although the bikini top was halter and covering her cleavage, the bottom was kinda tiny, putting her pert derriere on display. My girl looked so fucking alluring. Damn, I could ogle her all day. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, making me want to bury my face in her exposed neck. And yeah, I fucking loved her new hair. Auburn definitely suited her better.

She tilted her head and our eyes met. I couldn't help but smirk as she made her way to me right away. "You're home early." She stated when she reached me. I let her pass and walked up first. Because yeah, the view of her ass was amazing.

The white annoying thing barked at me from her neck. I snorted. The feeling was definitely mutual. Bella chuckled before put her down in the pool area. She then ran and ran, inviting Bella to play with her. "Later, Snow." She said. God, I was almost sure, the dog put the best sad face after that.

We walked into the sitting room and I slid the glass door closed before the little thing could get in. Your time was up, _white witch_.

"I'm planning to take you out for dinner." I grinned, putting my best charm there. She raised an eyebrow then spun around. But even I could hear the smile in her next words.

"Oh, is it a date?"

She led me upstairs and I was more than happy to follow.

"If you say so." I imagined her rolling her eyes before opening the bedroom door. She then entered the bathroom to wash her face and hands. I stood in the doorway, watching her. Groaning when I realized she made trails of sand on the floor. "You promised you wouldn't bring the sand to my room."

She looked down like she just realized it too. "Oh, sorry!" she giggled. The sound went straight to my cock, making it hard for attention. _Of course_. I wanted to scoff. These days anything she did made me hard. I had no idea how, but it was like I was addicted to her.

And thank God, she decided to stay. I would probably go insane if she left.

I approached her from behind, grabbing the slim waist of her. "You're not." I stated, biting her shoulder before licking the skin. Her eyes were suddenly heavy, staring at me through the huge mirror in front of us. My hands wandered, along her navel and down to her soft thighs. "So fucking beautiful." I murmured on her ear, making her inhale sharply. She looked just as affected as I was.

I swore to God we were playing a dangerous game here. I knew her presence meant a complication to me yet I wanted to be with her. And I was sure I was a freaking nightmare to her yet she decided to stay when I offered her to leave. We were fucked up.

My fingers untied the strings at each side of her bikini bottom quickly as my lips distracted hers for a kiss. She whimpered against my mouth the moment my hand grazed her bare pussy.

"Tempting." I whispered, dipping my middle finger into her wetness. Fuck, she was so soft and warm.

"Edwarddd…" she moaned, arching her back as I moved my finger in and out fast and deep. Hitting her spot that I knew like the back of my hand.

"Yeah?" I smirked, running my nose along her jaw.

"Faster." She panted. Of course I complied. At this point I would do anything for her. Literally everything. She leaned forward a bit, gripping the edge of countertop to keep her body upright. "Ah, God, fuck, fuck, fuckkkkk…" I watched as she came undone beneath me. Damn, my girl was beautiful. I slipped out my finger from her soaked pussy, sucking it before undoing my pants. "Give me a second." She turned her head to me as she felt the tip my cock against her opening.

"No." I chuckled darkly, lifting her right leg up onto the countertop. She was crazy if she thought I would fucking wait. Before she could protest again, I pushed my cock deep inside her in one swift move. She moaned in ecstasy, even though still half resisting. Fuck, she always felt so good. I didn't bother with condom now that she was on the pill.

"Edward!" she writhed beneath me as I grabbed her by her waist, fucking her hard with no mercy. In and out in and out. So deep and hard because I couldn't help myself. It was like her body was begged to be fucked like this. "Slowly, for fucks sake!" she panted, being grumpy because she was oversensitive after the first orgasm. Well, unfortunately _slow_ was the furthest thing on my mind right now, _sweetheart_. And she looked like she just loved it as much. Ignoring her nonsensical complain, I drew my finger lower to rub her clit, bringing her higher before she had a chance to come down. "Ah, ah, ah, fuck Edward, fuckkkkk…" she cried out, unprepared as the wave of orgasm hit her. Her legs shook while her pussy contracted around me. The feeling was overwhelming. And soon I followed after her.

* * *

I got up from the couch when she was descending the stairs wearing that sinful white dress and those killer heels. Her hair was in soft curls and her makeup was minimal. She was the definition of young and beautiful.

We walked side by side to the driveway. And I couldn't help but smirk when she was surprised to see my grey Veneno instead of the usual Ferrari. So fucking sleek and sexy. Yeah, this bad boy was here to impress her. Such a rareness to me because I had never tried this hard. I was so picky when it came to my Lambo. Not everyone could fucking touch it.

I opened the passenger door for her, pulling her out of her shocked state. She slid in like she couldn't believe it. I jogged to my door then got in behind the wheel.

"You must be very rich." It was the first sentence that was coming out from her mouth as soon as we hit the road. Unpredictable as always. She said it blatantly yet in innocent way.

"You have no idea." I replied.

"No, I won't pretend that this isn't insane because it is." She added, eyes admiring the interior of the car. Bella was always honest and unfiltered, something that was absolutely entertaining and refreshing. "Can I drive it? One day?" she suddenly asked.

"You wish." I laughed humorlessly. Hell no, baby.

She scoffed, folding her arms like a child.

Twenty minutes later we arrived at an Italian restaurant—mine, actually—named Luna. We were escorted to my usual table right away. Which became my favorite of course because it held more privacy than the others.

"Fancy." She commented as soon as the waiter left us alone after taking our order. Her smile was infectious.

"Do you like it?" I inquired.

"Every girl's dream." She replied, like she was truly happy. Now I regretted I didn't do it sooner. Because hell, in the end I was just getting deep with her, no matter how hard I fought.

"Are you sure you are twenty one?" I asked with a slight curiosity. "You seem a lot younger."

"Are you saying I'm childish?" she took it as an insult.

"I didn't say that." I grinned. She snorted, didn't say anything until the waiter finished placing our order on the table and left.

"You know what, you are way more childish than I am, and you're like, thirty." She pointed out. That courage, though.

"I'm thirty-five." I clarified, sipping my wine slowly.

"That's not the point." She rolled her eyes.

"So you're okay with that, huh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"As long as you're not married." She replied automatically. I stiffened at her words. Memories flashed through my head like a hurricane. Damn it, after all this time it still did me like this. I blinked it away quickly as she was mistaken my reaction. "Umm…are you?" she asked carefully.

There was a dead beat of silence before I replied.

"Not anymore."

* * *

 **Love you xx**


	16. Chapter 16

_"_ _It's you, it's you. It's all for you. Everything I do."—Video Games, Lana Del Rey_

* * *

"It's dangerous." Hailey said. I reluctantly tore my gaze away from the man across the pool. The one who was seemingly having a serious talk with his men. Turning to her, I frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"Your feelings toward him." She stated simply. Sometimes with her, it was just useless to play dumb. Because observing people was something she was so good at. I stayed silent, looking at her amused eyes. "You know you'll get hurt, B." She added, grinning as if she was waiting for it.

"I don't mind." I replied, bold and unthinking. It was true. At this point, I didn't really care.

She laughed. "You're crazy."

I rolled my eyes, reaching for my cocktail on the table. Drinking it, I glanced back at him. It was involuntary and just for a few seconds, but of course Hailey caught it. She smirked. "Ah, you've got too deep already."

I pretended I didn't hear it.

Edward returned a little while later, taking a seat on the pool chair beside me. Sunglasses on and shirtless, the sight of him basked in the sun was beautiful. Maybe the summer in this hot humid city didn't sound so bad.

"Rose is back in town, did you hear? She will hold a party this weekend." Hailey started. All evil, up-to-no-good grin. Edward sipped his champagne nonchalantly, yet was completely aware I was listening.

"Can't. Busy."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Business or pleasure?"

"Business." He replied, annoyed. Like the answer was obvious. "I'll be staying in Havana until Monday."

I hid my surprise at the news. He never said anything about that. But again, we never talked about his business. Or else.

"Rose will be disappointed." The words were for him, yet her eyes were on me. I knew right away she said it on purpose. I didn't give her the satisfaction, of course. My reaction was cool and composed, even though inside I had been dying to know who this Rose they were talking about.

He ignored her as if she never spoke to him.

I got up because all of a sudden I felt like an outsider. The feeling became more and more difficult to handle these days. After that slip about his ex-wife, he grew a little bit distant and more careful. He thought I was oblivious to this. I was not.

He grabbed my hand before I had a chance to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"Swimming." My reply was quick and short.

He quirked his perfect brow, but let go.

"Okay."

* * *

"What will you be doing in Havana?" I asked as he packed up his stuffs. His side was on me so I could see it clearly. More guns, less clothes. The sight never failed to make me shudder even though it wasn't the first time I saw it.

"Business." He replied, didn't offer anything else. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. Because I didn't usually ask about his dirty works.

"What business?" I pressed, a bit testing his patience. It was about time I wanted to know. Hell, I needed to know.

The gun hit the suitcase loudly as he threw it. The atmosphere shifted. His mood turned sour. His flight was in an hour and I was kinda sorry for his men.

"I don't have time for this shit, _bellissima_." He warned, eyes cold and scary, but anger and curiosity drove me crazy. I wanted to know everything about him that he wouldn't tell. Because it was unfair how he knew all of me while I was still grasping a few pieces of him.

"You never have time." I commented. I knew I was so noisy, but I couldn't help myself.

"What do you want?" he asked impatiently, hand running over his bronze hair.

Tell me everything. Rose. The ex-wife. Your dark past. The business. Secrets.

My head was aching just thinking about it.

"I simply asked a question."

"Cut the bullshit."

"You don't trust me." I stated. His doubt to me was the root of the problem. He didn't trust me enough to open up about everything. It hurt the moment I realized it. "Why?" I wanted to scream, but it came out as a weak whisper.

He approached me with steady strides, eyes narrowed. I looked up to him as my chin was held between his fingers. He leaned in close and murmured against my lips. "I'll pretend this conversation never happens."

* * *

My midnights were always filled by silence and loneliness, even when Edward was here. So now that he was gone for a couple of days, it didn't change the routine.

I was sitting on the couch at the first floor with Snow lying beside me, half-asleep. The TV was on, playing something I didn't watch since hours ago, just to keep me a company.

My mind was at chaos.

I was staring blankly ahead, to the darkness the ocean hid, when I heard the footsteps. Snow was abruptly awake and jumped down, running towards the doorway.

She came back later snuggling in his arms.

Jamie.

"Ah, you missed me too, didn't you?" he teased, stroking Snow's chin, but the smile was for me.

The last time we met, we were pissed at each other. Me, because of that club incident. Him, because Edward had messed with his Bugatti to revenge that club incident.

He sat on the table in front of me with Snow in his lap. Our knees were touching. I diverted my attention from the proximity, gazing at his loose soft blond curls instead.

"Boring night, huh?" he said as though he already knew the answer. That playful mood was back. The crooked smirk was in place. It was like nothing ever happened between us before.

"As you can see." I replied, leaning back to create some distance.

"I heard Edward left to Havana."

I raised an eyebrow, feeling brave. "So you're here because he isn't around?"

He chuckled at my words, but those eyes grew intense. "No, _principessa_. You know I'm not afraid of him."

True.

Pushing his buttons was his hobby. And he didn't give a fuck because he knew Edward wouldn't kill him, though. No matter how many damages he had done. Family before anything.

For a minute, silence surrounded us. Jamie moved now-sleeping Snow to the space beside him. He was watching her as if he was envy with her peaceful state.

"Do you know what he's doing there? In Havana?" I asked nonchalantly, looking down to my lap to realize I was only in my oversized t-shirt and boyshorts.

"The usual." He replied bluntly. Like it didn't bother him at all to tell me about it. "You know, monitoring our business. Hotels, casinos, clubs… _brothel_." He grinned at the last part. My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression neutral. "If you don't know, we have the best brothel in Havana." He added knowing my discomfort. I felt sick thinking about it. I felt sick hearing how easy he said it.

"You're disgusting." I couldn't help myself.

"Yet here you are." He mocked angrily. I stiffened as he leaned in. "Tell me, _principessa_ , why didn't you leave when Edward offered you freedom?" I was surprised he knew. Did Edward tell him? "Why did you choose to stay? Tell me. Why? So he can keep fucking you?"

I was stunned at his harsh words. But only for a few seconds before anger overtook me. Jamie was fast, though. He grabbed my wrists before I could hit him.

"You don't know anything." I hissed.

"You're the one who doesn't know anything." He said, just as furious. "I know him better than anyone. Everything that he has been through, I was witnessing it all. My cousin has a very dark past, Bella. He can't ever have feelings. For anyone."

"Is it because of his ex-wife?" it was out before I could stop it. And the tone sounded so bitter.

His eyes widened at my question.

"He told you?"

"Does he still love her?" I asked back instead.

A beat of silence, then, "Yes. He does."

The words stabbed. And I saw no lie in those blues.

* * *

Edward didn't come back on Monday. He didn't call either. Nothing. I tried not to think about it, but this thing had kept me restless at night. Did something happen to him? Why did he not come back on Monday like he told he would?

I was a second away from being insane.

Hailey and I hung out almost everyday. She took my mind off him for a while with those crazy parties and shopping. She didn't tell me anything about him and I didn't ask. But somehow I knew she knew. Hailey was just enjoying my worry.

Jamie visited me again on Thursday. When I was all alone sitting by the pool, surrounded by midnight stars and black sky and the waves of the ocean. He stood beside me, hands deep in his pockets.

"Such a calming night." He said, much to himself.

I turned my head. "Is he okay?" God, even I sounded so desperate in my own ears. And I didn't ask where and why because I was afraid he wouldn't answer at all.

"He is." That wasn't enough to ease my worry, though. "Come on. The night is too beautiful to waste." He held out his hand for me to take.

I did.

The awkwardness and discomfort I once felt towards him had disappeared. He was a good man when he wanted to be.

"Where are we going?" I broke the silence as we were in his car. It was the matte black Bugatti Veyron he loved so dearly. The one that needed weeks to fix because of Edward. Because of me.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked back, tilting his head to me.

I exhaled, just feeling tired. "Far away from here."

"Miami sounds good to you?"

* * *

We arrived before the dawn. I was wide awake and he was too. So we went straight to the beach, waiting for sunrise. It was something I had never been bored to watch. And of course, so much better than those midnight TV shows.

We headed to some breakfast deli near the beach after that. He said it was one of his favorite places here. He didn't disappoint. The food really tasted delicious.

"You surf?" he asked when we were back at his massive yet empty beach house. I bet this man had residence everywhere.

I curled up on the couch, yawning. "Aren't you tired?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't usually sleep in the morning."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course." These men were so weird. "How long will we be here?" I asked, realizing we didn't bring any spare clothes.

"As long as you want." He shrugged. Like it wasn't really a big problem.

* * *

Turned out he had taken care of everything. From the stocked fridge to the full-of-clothes closet. Well, everything we needed was here. With him, with them, this family, life seemed so much easier.

We went to the beach again after lunch. He said he missed surfing. So he did play with the waves while I floated on the surface of the water. It felt so good being here. I didn't really mind the bright sun above or the humid air. All I could think about was the blue that was united in the horizon. It was perfect and beautiful. I loved every inch of it.

I dived in again, twisted and danced under water. For a moment I forgot who I was and the problems back home. It was only me and the ocean.

When I drifted back up, Jamie was floating nearby, sitting cross-legged on his surfboard, staring at nothing particular. I swam to him, taking a breath while holding onto his surfboard.

"You're pretty good at it." I confessed.

His smirk was effortless. "At what? Surfing or spoiling girls?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "Both, I think."

He laughed.

"In case you're wondering, actually Hailey and I grew up here." His gaze seemed so far away, recalling the memory. "We moved to Tampa when Edward's mother was dying. My dad is her elder brother, by the way." He told me. I noted that Jamie was more open than Edward. That was one of many differences between them. "I remember how this family became a mess as soon as she passed away. _Zio_ seemed so depressed about it so Edward had to overtake the organization, acting as the Don. Well, practically Edward is the Don now because _zio_ is still drowning in his sorrow."

"Must be hard for him, losing the love of his life." I said.

"Pretty much." He shrugged. That topic was over. "Anyway, I will be throwing a party tonight, so don't be surprised to see so many unfamiliar faces in the house."

"Do you even have enough time to prepare?"

"Believe me, Bella. It's more than enough." He winked.

* * *

Hailey came all the way down to Miami. Wearing a loose white off-the-shoulder dress and some cute flower accessories on her hair, she almost looked like a pixie. Well, pixie with an evil mind more exactly. God knows why I had this love-hate situation with her.

The house was packed by midnight. Girls were dressed to impress. Men were lingering close behind. Liquor in hand and other substances in the body.

I stood in the balcony for minutes, hardly sipping my champagne and just watching people from here. Another dull pathetic crowd.

"You gonna stand there all night, B?" Hailey said, pulling me out of my musings. I turned around and stepped inside.

"Yeah, why?"

"Come on. I want you to meet someone."

That suspicious smile again.

My forehead furrowed, trying to guess her intention.

She led me to some spacious sitting room that was more private and less crowded. Jamie was there, surrounded by his girls with a bong in hand. While on the other of the couch was occupied by a gorgeous blonde with killer body. Joint between her fingers, smoke was out of those lips.

I already had a bad feeling about this woman.

"Bella, this is Rose. And Rose, this is Bella." Hailey introduced, gesturing to each of us.

Rose didn't say anything, not even a hi. So, neither did I.

Those sharp blue eyes were assessing, though.

"Who is she?" she asked rudely after a moment, nodding at my direction.

Jamie snickered, amused as ever.

"Edward's girlfriend." Hailey said without missing a beat. Even I cringed at that.

"No way." Rose snorted out loud. As if she knew it was impossible.

"Ask him yourself." Hailey shrugged nonchalantly. But when Rose didn't see, she grinned widely at me.

"Tell me you're not serious, Hails." She warned. Her tone was ice cold.

"I am."

"He didn't say anything about it." She argued, crossing her arms.

"Oh, right. Like you didn't say anything about moving to Sicily eight months ago?" Hailey bit back. It shut her up immediately. "And since when you two talk to each other again, anyway?" God, this girl was savage.

Jamie laughed out loud at that, but still trying to stay out of it.

Rose got up from her seat, completely furious. "Whatever, bitch. I'm out."


	17. Chapter 17

_"_ _Darker than the ocean, deeper than the sea. You've got everything, you got what I need."_

 _—_ _Alina Baraz_

* * *

The sudden bright harsh light woke me up from my sleep. I groaned and blinked. Cursing at whoever dared to draw the curtain. God, I felt like shit. And my head was aching because of the weed the night before.

It was all Hailey and her ways to persuade me.

I rubbed my face and sat up, nearly screaming in the process as I found him here.

Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed in that designer navy suit like nobody's business. Those green eyes were piercing through my bare soul. Cold yet sad. Worried but angry. So, I fought fire with fire. We let the rage clouding the unspoken yearning between us.

"Fun night, huh?" he gritted his teeth. As if I shouldn't be. As if I should be home waiting for him and drowning in misery.

Fuck him.

I kept my cool, smiling sweetly.

"Rough night?" I replied, glancing at his crumpled clothes and tired sleepless face. He didn't look any better than me to be honest.

"Yeah, because I came home and you were not there." He hissed, inching closer. My response was leaning back as far as I could, but he snatched my waist, holding me in his arms.

It felt like home.

His lips were firm against the side of my head and his hold tightened around me as though he was afraid to let go. I just breathed in his scent and listened to the thumping beat of his heart silently.

For a moment, we forgot and forgave.

But of course, I had to ruin it.

"Where have you been?" I asked finally. This thing had bugged me for days. I wanted answers. And I had the right to know.

He didn't like my question, though.

"Taking care of some shit." He replied quickly, wasn't ready for another fight. But I wasn't ready to give up either.

"Tell me." I demanded, looking up to his face.

"I can't."

He was so stubborn, but I was too.

"Why?"

"Bella." It was a warning. His tone begged me to stop and let this go already.

But I didn't back off.

"Why did you not call? I was so worried, Edward." I told him. Because I needed him to know that I cared. That he could trust me.

"I'm fine now, alright?"

That wasn't the point.

"You make me feel like I'm not good enough." I said, pushing him away. It was tiring to have this conversation with him.

He laughed humorlessly.

"You have no idea."

I ignored him.

"I've met Rose." I said. It was intentional and calculated. But this man was super calm, hiding his surprise deep inside. My eyes were watching his expression from time to time. "I think she hates me." I added, only to get his reaction.

"She hates everyone." He rolled his eyes. Like he had known her for so long. I couldn't help but feeling a twinge of jealousy in the pit of my stomach.

"What happened between you two?" I inquired. It even sounded possessive in my own ears, but I didn't care. I was going to be insane if he didn't tell me soon. My mind just couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't replied right away so I encouraged myself to continue. "Is she…is she your ex-wife?"

He heard me right because all of a sudden those emeralds darkened. His jaw stiffened and his body was shaken of anger and other emotions. He looked like he restrained himself from grabbing his gun and killing me already.

"Stop it." His voice was low and made me shiver. Yet I pushed further.

"You still love her, don't you?" it came out shaky and unsure. But he had enough.

"I said stop, Bella!" he snapped. His hands pinned me down to the bed. Face was red of fury and his grip on my arms tightened.

My mouth was dry and my heart was hurt.

It was true, then.

He still loved her.

We heard the door being opened and Hailey's head poked in. "Breakfast is ready!" she announced, grinning and oblivious at the tension. I wanted to thank her. Because now I had the reason to get away from him.

He released me. Just watching silently as I walked out

* * *

I washed my face in the first floor bathroom before joining Jamie and Hailey for breakfast in the patio beside the pool. The sun was shining so bright today and I hated that I didn't have my sunglasses.

Jamie was smiling when I took a seat. He was puffing his cig already.

"You told him I am here?" I asked, didn't bother to say greetings.

He shrugged, but those crystal blues were amused.

"He asked."

I didn't say anything after that. And they didn't take my silence as a strange thing. Or maybe they did, but just let it go. I ate my food and drank a lot of water—feeling dehydrated somehow, watching the calming ocean then diverted my gaze to the cleaning staffs that clearing up the mess from last night party.

Hailey and Jamie talked about something I didn't understand, mostly new stuffs, as they called it, this guy and that girl, parties, nothing worth my attention.

I was just enjoying the summer breeze, the sound of the waves, and the scenery before me.

When Paul walked by the sitting room inside, it didn't take much for Hailey to leave us and approach him. Sometimes I wondered what her true feeling was. Was she being serious or just teasing?

"What's with the mood?" Jamie asked as soon as we were left alone, eyebrow quirked quizzically.

"What about it?"

"You look like you have a bad day already, and it's only nine in the morning." He stubbed out his cig in the ashtray, arms crossing over his chest. "What is it? Is it Edward?"

I decided to ask him instead.

"Will you tell me who Rose is?"

He tilted his head, reading my expression. "Why do you want to know?"

Because this shit had driven me crazy, that was why.

"Is she his ex-wife?"

The playfulness in him was gone instantly. And it was like the atmosphere changed whenever this subject was brought up.

"You should ask him."

"Please, tell me." I slightly begged, grabbing his hand before he could get up from his chair.

I was almost sure he wouldn't answer when he exhaled deeply then said. "No. She isn't."

* * *

I was taking a nap on the pool chair when suddenly someone nudged my foot. I opened my eyes, pushing my aviators onto my head, only to find Jamie sitting on the other side of the pool chair. His Hawaiian shirt was unbuttoned and his curls were wild and lighter. The beach boy was just back from the adventure while I chose to chill in the house all day.

"Where's Hails?" he asked, yet didn't seem to care at the same time.

"Out." I adjusted my bikini top while he was busy rolling his weed masterly.

"With Paul?" he offered me one when he was finished, but I declined. So he put the joint between his lips instead and lit it. Taking a deep drag before blowing out the smoke in the air.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "She only said something about coming back before dinner."

He wasn't listening, though.

His gaze wandered through the glass wall behind. To the figure inside the room. Those footsteps echoed in the silence. And I knew it was Edward before he came into the view, stopping by the sliding glass door.

"I'm going home. You come in?" it was obvious that he was upset with the sight of us.

"I'll drive her tomorrow." Jamie replied even though the question was for me. Actually, I was kinda surprised of the heavy tension between them. This thing was a bit unusual. But again, maybe these two were just not in a good mood.

"No." His tone was final. But I didn't think Jamie would listen to him, though.

Before the hell did break loose, I got up.

"It's okay. I gotta go anyway."

Jamie sighed deeply, focusing his attention back to the joint in hand.

* * *

Edward dropped me off at the house, then driving away to somewhere he didn't bother to tell. He was silent, always keeping his mind to himself. No word or at least half-assed goodbye. Nothing. It was too much for me. The big gap between us was visible and clear. But the man didn't seem to care at all.

At night I was restless. My mind couldn't control its racing thoughts. And my brain couldn't let my eyes close. So I got up from the bed and wandered in the hallway. At two in the morning.

I stopped at the top of the stairs and sat there. It was an hour later before I finally heard his car being pulled up in the driveway. It was deafening as he was making his way inside. I straightened my spine the moment he climbed up the stairs, unaware of my presence until he was only a couple of steps away.

He looked distracted, yet covered it with a smirk. I wanted to say I missed him, but I didn't.

"Can't sleep?" his eyebrow arched, hand was stretched out which I took momentarily. The scent of smoke and blood were all over him as we stood close. His daily nighttime routine. Dangerous dirty activities I despised so much.

"Where were you going?" I asked him instead. Usual question that he was never gonna answer.

But this man surprised me with that evil smile. "Want me to tell you or show you?"

Was he being serious or not?

"Both." I tried.

His smile then became deadly. "Greedy." He said, yet linking his hand into mine.

I let him lead the way. Passing the bedroom door and opening one in the corner of the hallway. He stepped aside and let me walk first. I did, taking a sight of the room before me.

This was his office. And it was the first time he brought me here.

I looked around, amazed at how spotless and tidy this room was. The dark-themed furniture was completely him. And the painting on the wall looked too personal. I imagined him sitting on that leather office chair, drinking scotch while managing his crime organization at the same time.

"Remember how you could end up here?" he asked all of a sudden, making me turn to him. He was leaning against his desk, twirling the unlit cigarette idly between his fingers.

"Yes." I said. That question brought a lot of memories I didn't want to recall.

"Well, apparently, your beloved boyfriend died only to add more fucking problems." He rolled his eyes. No remorse or guilt. The man talked about death like he talked about the weather. So casual and lack of concern. "Why the fuck did you try to save him anyway?" anger flashed his eyes for a second.

"I didn't." I said, matter-of-factly.

"Yet you couldn't kill him." He scoffed.

"What's the point? You killed him in the end." I bit back. He laughed, satisfied because he got my reaction. It sounded sinister and devilish.

"Oh, are you mad, baby? Do you still love him?" he sneered. I wanted to smack his face for being such an obnoxious asshole.

"No. Of course not." I replied right away despite myself. But it was one hundred percent true. I didn't feel anything about it anymore.

He smirked then, beckoning me to come closer. So I slowly made my way to him, closing the distance between us.

His fingertips brushed my chin as those greens looked into my eyes. Those emeralds trapped me under his intense gaze I couldn't look away. With him being this near was enough to mess with my fucked-up brain. I was already addicted to him long before I realized it. "I miss you, but you drive me crazy." He confessed, pressing his lips against mine. But before I could respond, he shut me with a long, hard kiss. A pure bliss. Paradise and hell mixed together. Always left me wanting for more, but burning me at the same time. Same effect every time we touched.

His hand was on the back of my neck, angling my head to him so he could kiss me the way he wanted. I welcomed it, wrapping my arms around his neck to draw him closer. Our lips were moving as we deepened the kiss. It was perfect. Too perfect to be real. His gangster boy personality vanished and for a brief minute he just put down all the burdens from his shoulders. Leaving all of the bullshits behind and stepping out of the pressure, ready to unveil his dark secrets. And in this moment, I enjoyed him being an ordinary man.

I broke the kiss because I was out of breath. Or because I wanted to block my wishful thinking. He buried his face in the nape of my neck and inhaled deeply. Both hands caressing my ass under his pajamas top I was wearing.

"You've caused me a lot trouble, _bellissima_." He whispered, running his nose along my neck, sending shivers on my skin.

"Like what?" I gulped.

"Well, for example, the girl you chose over that shitty boyfriend of yours, whose abdomen you put the bullet into, turned out to be Alvarrez's precious daughter and now his gang is seeking revenge and thinking my organization can be destroyed in one night." He scolded, taking a step back and drawing his gaze elsewhere as if he was remembering something annoying.

"I don't understand." I admitted.

"From what my men gathered, Black was stealing for them. Alvarrez." He explained, both hands gripping the edge of the desk. "That shit is what keeps me occupied for days now. And the only reason I didn't come back to Florida on Monday was because I had to visit my fellow Mexicans to strengthen my alliance. Alvarrez and his ridiculous gang are kinda building an army now."

"I don't see why it's so hard for you to tell me about all of this." I said after my brain processed everything.

That sinister smile again.

"Easy. Because it's none of your fucking business." He replied, blatantly honest. It didn't make it less hurt, though. "In case you don't know, my organization and what's going on inside it are not some public discussion. We don't tell because we need to be careful. Because we don't know who's going to stab us in the back next. Besides, you're an outsider, _bellissima_. What do you expect?"

That word made me angry. _Outsider_ , he said. So that was what he was thinking of me?

"Right." I said, turning around and ready to storm off. But he grasped the hem of my pajama and yanked me back to him.

"Don't think you can leave after you kissed me like that." He chuckled darkly, wrapping his arms around me.

"I can do whatever I want." I snapped, squirming in his hold, but the efforts seemed useless.

He turned us around so my front was now against the desk. Then whispering in my ear. "And what do you want right now?"

I couldn't find my voice because slowly his hand was snaking down to my thigh, deliberately bypassing the wet core that was begging to be touched.

He hummed, enjoying the fact that I was breathing hard because his palm running up and down my inner thigh but never high enough to reach my soaked pussy.

God, I wanted him. I wanted him so much.

"Edward…" I whined, because fuck it. I missed his touch.

His teasing game stopped. And I wondered instantly what was on his mind as he untangled himself from me and took a step back.

"Strip off and bend down, baby."

* * *

 **Hello guys! Thank you again for your patience and support and reviews! Love you :)**

 **Alina Baraz is my muse ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

_"_ _Melting like ice on a summer day. Hold me like you mean, take me far away."_

 _—_ _Alina Baraz_

* * *

"What time is it?" he yawned, draping his leg over my hip as he was laying there beneath me, pulling me closer at the same time. This couch wasn't that big to fit both of our sticky bodies. But we were too spent to move into the bedroom.

"Nine or ten, I think." I mumbled, drawing circles on his bare chest with my forefinger out of habit. He hummed, his hand making its way to smooth my tousled hair.

It was sweet all over again. And I love the way it felt.

For a moment we stayed like this. Just listening to our heartbeats and getting comfortable with each other.

I kissed his inked skin. And he returned it by brushing his lips against the top of my head. But then…

"Get up, baby. We need to be somewhere else."

This man was always so fucking confusing.

"Huh?"

He untangled himself from me and got to sit straight.

"Come on. Breakfast first."

* * *

It was a beautiful day to go out. Hair up, sunglasses on. I was wearing off-shoulder stripe maxi dress and sandals.

We were walking hand in hand into the restaurant, garnering attention from some people. I could tell that Edward was a regular customer seeing how everyone seemed to acknowledge him. But again, I didn't know anything.

He lifted his eyebrow when I dragged my chair closer to his. As if the fact that we were sitting side by side wasn't enough.

I rested my head on his shoulder out of the blue. Because no, I couldn't help myself. He was tense, but didn't lean away.

When the waitress brought the food to our table, she kept stealing curious glances. Which annoyed Edward so much, he had to dismiss her before she could say anything.

I pressed my lips to his the second he turned his head to me.

Watching various emotions crossing his features.

He was torn between loving it and hated it. Like he wanted to push me away, but keeping me closer at the same time.

"What?" he responded, surprised at my sudden move.

I sighed.

But before I could move away, he grabbed my chin and kissed me deeply.

* * *

"You want to know where I was last night." He said out of nowhere when we were back in his car. My hair down, sunglasses off. I tilted my head to him to read his expression, but he gave nothing away. "You want me to show you, so I will." He added, focusing his eyes to the new road ahead. I already had a bad feeling about this, but I couldn't complain.

We pulled into the kind of building I knew too well. My stomach stirred as I recollected the memories. And I was anxious because I didn't know what to expect next.

Edward opened his door then got out of the car. Waiting for me outside as I calmed myself. I sure as hell couldn't back down now. But whatever it was he wanted to show definitely wasn't a good thing.

I slid out of his Ferrari, following him enter the warehouse. A couple of men stood from their seats right away the second Edward stepped into the room. They greeted him in respect and fear which he replied with a dismissive nod.

We passed them and made a way to the hidden stairs connected to the basement. Where the real hell was. It was a long, dark corridor before he opened one of the doors.

I hesitated to come in because I didn't think I could handle what was inside. The strong smell of blood and the muffled screams obviously were not just my imagination.

"Edward." I held his forearm because all of a sudden I couldn't. My eyes were pleading because I didn't think I wanted to know right now. His smile didn't reach his eyes. And then I realized that it was all too late. He would show me. Thoroughly.

He intertwined our fingers. In soothing yet scary gesture. Calming me down but preventing me to run away.

We walked in and the sight inside was far from pretty. His men turned around to us then straightened their spines. I covered my mouth as I saw a barely-alive man tied in the chair. It was obvious that he had been brutally tortured. My breakfast threatened to go up to my mouth.

"Still nothing?" Edward nodded to one of his men who looked in charge here. He shook his head in shame.

The barely-alive man in the chair tried to open his mouth. To say anything. He hissed in pain instead because of the bruises in his face. And all over his body.

Edward moved and now he was behind me. Both hands on my shoulders.

"Do you think he's loyal or just stupid?" he whispered. Curious, but not really.

"Maybe he just doesn't have the answer you want." I replied quietly.

His grin kissed my bare skin.

"I like your suggestion." He said. But I didn't understand what he meant until he continued. "Kill him. He's useless anyway." He ordered with a boring tone. And it was like a lightning just struck above my head. No. No. No, I didn't mean it like that.

I couldn't find my voice. And no one moved from their spot. The man in-charge looked at me then Edward. As if he wasn't sure that I should be here when he did his task.

"Oh, don't worry. Don't let her stop you." Edward said. I wanted to turn around, but his hold prevented me. "No, _sweetheart_. You ask for it. And I will fucking show you. All of it."

The executor was ready. But when he grabbed his gun, I could feel Edward shaking his head. "No. Kill him slow."

My eyes widened and I struggled. I couldn't watch this but he insisted.

His hands moved down to my waist and now I was wrapped in his arms. "Don't ask," those lips against the side of my head, "If you're not ready with the answer."

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

I raised my head from the couch to find Hailey causally stepping into the room, dressed to impress in that beautiful haute couture gown.

"What do you mean?" I asked back because her question was weird. Shouldn't I be the one who asked? What was she doing here?

"Get ready. We're going to Carlisle's birthday." She said, daring me to refuse. My eyebrow furrowed.

"I don't even know who he is."

"My father." She waved her hand in dismissal like it didn't matter. Her phone was on her ear immediately as she requested some stuffs to the person on the other line. Mostly she said something about makeup and gown and jewelry.

"Edward didn't mention anything about it." I argued. He was the only reason I had. Because right now I was too tired to even think about party. Let alone come.

"Because he's a fool." She snorted loudly.

"Maybe he doesn't want me to come, Hails. Isn't it like a family gathering or something?"

Thinking about meeting him there made me recall his dark gaze and vicious act earlier. Those would forever haunt me in my dreams. My stomach twisted.

"Yes, it is. You're a family now, B." She smirked. Her eyes were promising me that it would be so much fun to join the family. I looked away because I didn't know if it was just a game for them or a real honest confession. "Now, shower because I can't drag you to the bathroom. I don't want to ruin my twenty thousand dollars gown."

I sighed. This was the battle I couldn't win.

* * *

By the time I was finished, everything was ready.

The choker diamond, Elie Saab gown, and a pair of black Louboutins.

Hailey did my hair as I did my makeup. We were good to go a half hour later.

The party was held in five-star hotel ballroom. And when we arrived there, Jamie had waited in the lobby. He looked handsome in his black tuxedo. His wild hair was tied in a man bun.

Hailey smiled widely at him, holding out her hand as we reached him. I looked at them in confusion. Jamie sighed and slipped out a small suede drawstring pouch from his pocket pants, handed it to her. She accepted it giddily, pulling the drawstring to reveal small shaped diamonds. There were so many of them.

Oh, they bet on me again, didn't they?

"Uh, we're so late." Hailey complained, linking her hand when his brother offered her his arm.

"No one cares." Jamie rolled his eyes. I did the same as Hailey so we three were walking side by side entering the grand ballroom.

It was more crowded than I thought would be. Seemed like a big family gathering.

"Papa!" Hailey yelled, waving her hand to the blond man in the center of the room. Beside the cake which was taller than anyone. He grinned, looking handsome and younger than any man on his age. We approached him and his gaze flickered to me. I felt like I didn't belong here.

Hailey untangled herself from Jamie to hug his father.

"Happy birthday, Pa!"

"Thank you." He said then greeted Jamie. "Son."

"Pa." He nodded. It was a strange exchange.

"Ah, Bella, right?" Carlisle turned to me as I stood awkwardly. His eyes assessing. Then he smiled. Kind, but still scary at the same time. "Well, enjoy the party."

* * *

"I hate to tell you, but Rose is here." Hailey said nonchalantly as her eyes were staring straight to one figure in a red sexy gown. Rose was hard to miss. I could spot her right away. She was stood out. "And your boy is on her radar." She added, smirking when she saw my reaction.

Edward was in talk with some men, a flute of champagne in hand. He looked bored and didn't even make an effort to cover it. Passive and cold and sinful in his tuxedo. I saw him wandering here and there and I knew he knew I was in the same room. Still, we avoided each other like plague.

"Careful." All of a sudden Jamie whispered right behind me. "Rose can be so…persuasive." He ran his knuckles along my bare arm, blurring my focus.

"No, he doesn't care." Hailey tried to soothe me. "We know after all this time, Edward never sees her more than a childhood friend."

"They fucked." Jamie reminded his sister. The word stung. He caught me when I wobbled.

"Not more." Hailey clarified, insisting. "You fucked her too."

Jamie laughed. "Not more." He repeated.

"God, I hate that bitch." Hailey said venomously.

"I bet Edward will leave with her." He declared, earning a wide smile from her.

"I bet he will not."

* * *

Hailey won the bet again and I was glad. We watched silently as he left all by himself. There was no one in the passenger seat. No one by his side. Not even Paul.

Hailey dropped me off at the house shortly after and I was ascending the stairs alone.

I entered the room, adjusting my eyes to the darkness. I slipped out of my shoes, going straight to the bathroom to wipe my makeup and untie my hair. When I was done, I heard him.

" _Bellissima_."

I turned around and found him sitting on the edge of the bathtub. With scotch in hand. In the dark, he looked more menacing. We held each other gaze for a minute before he put the crystal glass on the floor and got up. Three strides and we were inches away.

"Come here." He said, opening his arms. We were close but not touching.

I didn't move.

I was numb on both sides.

He was irritated. His hand pulled my wrist until I was in his embrace. My hands were on my sides, itching to push him away because I couldn't do this. I couldn't unsee what I had watched. What he made me watch. The image would dance behind my lids forever. For him, everything was worthless. I looked up to him, wondering how his soul became so dark, so merciless. It was obvious he couldn't be healed. The damages were irreversible.

"Kiss me." He asked. Those greens stripped me bare.

I held onto his upper arms, resisting the urge to give right away. Because I realized, in the end it was always him that mattered. Him whom I was always going back to. I would accept and I would try to forget. Not because I had no choice, but it was the only one I would choose.

I placed my cheek against his. He inhaled sharply, filling his lungs with my scent. What we had between us, _this_ , it was consuming. One second I wanted to run from him, but later I changed my mind, turning around and running back to him.

I kissed his jaw softly as he ran a finger against my jugular, feeling the pulse beneath.

"What else do you want to see?" he asked, challenging me.

I shook my head and he smirked.

His mouth brushed against mine instantly. He tasted like champagne and scotch. Sweet and bitter. The kiss was slow and gentle. Patient. Longing. It was unusual but I knew sooner or later, he was going to ruin the gown. His mood could flip in a blink of an eye.

I kissed him harder and his lips turned hungry. The possessiveness. He was claiming me to be his. Our emotions swirled. They were free, but locked up at the same time. Happy, but full of misery.

We were breathing heavily, pulling away from each other at the same time, just slightly.

"You still want to stay, _baby_?" he inquired all of a sudden. His voice was calming, but the question was scary. "This is your last chance." The warning was clear, but so was my answer. His thumb caressed my cheek, then pressing on it. "Because after this I won't let you walk away. I won't _ever_ let you go even when you cry or beg."

He stared at me, seeking for doubts.

I knew he didn't find any.

* * *

 **hi :)**


	19. Chapter 19

_"_ _My boyfriend's back. And he's cooler than ever."—Lana_

* * *

He hummed, lips ghosting over my skin, peppering me with light—barely there kisses. Teasing or holding back, I didn't know which. The hair on my neck stood as he took a breath in, nose nuzzled at the crook of it. His fingers lingered, dangerously tracing the lines of my panties. He couldn't get enough. And I couldn't either. But my tired body and sleepy eyes betrayed me. God, I had been only sleeping for an hour or two.

"Mmm…no." I protested, scooting further to the edge of the bed unconsciously, earning a low chuckle from him.

"Yes." He argued jokingly, his chin resting on my shoulder blade.

"I can't." I mumbled, taking a sharp breath when I felt his hand caress my backside. Only needed a few seconds before it went lower, right between my thighs. I wore panties for a reason.

"You can." He rubbed it slowly. My body reacted, but I was not ready for his high.

"Edward…" I whined. My lids were heavy. But with my eyes closed the feeling of his touch intensified. His desire, it burned me. And my man wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. "I'm gonna pass out." Obviously. If he continued, I would.

He flipped me over and I groaned. He was dead serious. Pulling down my panties and pushing deep in. I gasped. My eyes were open and he smirked, hovering over me. His thrusts were steady, but I was seconds away from crumbling. I was way too sensitive and he fucking knew it.

"Already?" he raised an eyebrow as he felt my legs tremble. It was his cue to pump faster. My insides clenched around him and he grunted. I was sent up high and crashed beneath him. Spent, exhausted and possibly forgetting everything.

* * *

"Do you think you can go?" I diverted my attention from Gisele on _Vogue_ to Hailey who was painting my nails blue. My eyes narrowed but she didn't catch it.

"Depends." I replied and now she looked up, giving me a sly grin.

"What do you mean?"

"How much will I get if you win the bet?" I questioned. She knew exactly what I meant. Tonight was burlesque night at Jamie's club and she wanted me to join them. Like hell.

She laughed. Hard. I had to pull my hand away before my nails got messy.

"No bets, B, I promise this time." She said as her laughs died down. I didn't believe her at all.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked as he came back to the lounge in the pool area. Twenty minutes ago he disappeared into his office to take some phone calls, leaving me alone with the devil.

"We plan to go to Midnight Sun tonight."

I scoffed. "Except I get at least fifty percent, I won't go anywhere."

Edward understood what I meant immediately. His smile was sexy and proud. "You heard her, Hails."

"There's no bet."

None of us was convinced, though.

Edward shrugged. "It's your lost, cousin."

* * *

Much to Edward's satisfaction, I didn't go to Jamie's club tonight. Hailey didn't seem to care, but really, we all knew she was probably planning for revenge right now. Well, whatever it was I was ready. What could possibly happen? I had seen the worst of this family.

Edward stayed at home tonight and I cooked for our dinner. Sort of. I pretended I didn't see how he cringed when he tasted it, though. I swore it wasn't that bad. He just had a very high standard. But I was glad he didn't comment on it.

We chilled in the sitting room after. The feeling was kinda foreign, but at the same time, familiar. Watching movie with him was a little bit odd and emotionally intimate. And now was the first time I felt like he was also a normal human being.

"I want to swim." I said all of a sudden as the credit of the film appeared. His smile was too wide to cover. He was amused.

"Right now?"

I stood up, holding out my hand to him. "Come."

He raised his eyebrow but didn't resist. Getting up to his feet and I led us to the pool area. The sky was clear tonight and the moon was bright. The stars looked like twinkling dots down here. I was staring at him as he was gazing up above. His face lit up and it was a peaceful sight to see.

He snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. I grinned from ear to ear as he stole a kiss as though he couldn't help himself. I was seconds away to pull us into the water when the shrill sound of his phone rang. It was quickly breaking our moment.

I sighed when he said. "I have to take this."

The mood shifted abruptly. His guard was up and somehow I got a bad feeling as he put the phone to his ear. He and someone on the other line were talking in hush voices and mostly Italian language. The one I could totally be sure about was his clipped tone. It was something urgent, I could tell.

He disconnected the call and I involuntarily looked down to my feet.

"Hey." His finger delicately lifted my chin and he frowned when he looked into my sad eyes. "I gotta go."

He knew I already knew.

"I know." I said. And tonight I was all alone. Again.

His face softened. "I won't be long."

My smile was small, detecting the lie.

"Something I need to worry?"

"Nothing dangerous." He replied and I doubted that. Everything completely was. "It's Alvarrez."

"What did they do this time?"

"Doesn't matter. We'll destroy them tonight."

Chill ran down my spine.

"Boss." Paul interrupted us and now was standing by the sliding glass door. "Everything's ready."

I screamed _no_ inside, gripping his wrist tightly before he could walk away.

"Hey." His eyes on me and it was getting harder to let him go. "It's okay." _It was not_ , I wanted to shout. "I'll be by your side when you wake up tomorrow."

It wasn't enough. The lie wasn't good enough.

"Be safe." I said. Eyes were forcing him to fucking promise.

"I will." It didn't even sound convincing. He turned to Paul. "Let me change real quick." And with that he ran upstairs.

* * *

I didn't try to sleep because I knew it was useless. I waited and waited and waited. Sitting silently on the floor, eyes giving empty stares to the ocean, but the feeling didn't fade. This convinced me that something bad was really happening.

I tried to calm myself. Hell, I even prayed.

The clock ticked by. It was four in the morning when the news broke. The phone on the table in the corner rang. I froze. I answered on the third ring. And if this was a fucking nightmare, I really wanted to wake up right now.

"He…he was shot." Panic was clear in his voice and this absolutely wasn't a good way to greet people in early morning. Jamie. I found myself tremble when hearing each word. Eyes closed and my body leaning to the wall for support. "Fuck. Fuck." Even the curse word sounded like sorrow and regret. I gulped the lump in my throat.

"Is he—" I couldn't continue without sounding like I was choked. The air around me suddenly wasn't enough because right now I was gasping for it.

"Jas is on the way to pick you up, okay?" he said hurriedly before groaning in pain. "Shit. I gotta go."

The line was disconnected.

* * *

Jas arrived ten minutes later. It was the longest ten minutes in my life. My eyes widened when I saw him covered in blood. I had no idea whose, but I hoped it was the enemy's.

I climbed into the Rover and we drove away in silence.

I wanted to ask, but not ready for the answer.

The car came to stop and I didn't realize it until Jas opened his door. The mansion before us was huge, but I didn't have time to admire it because Jas was walking quickly inside. I opened my door and almost ran to level his steps.

The foyer. The living room. Down to the hall. Then all of a sudden we were in the area that looked like a mini hospital. It was all white and clean and sterile. We found Jamie sitting on the floor against the wall. Rumpled clothes and dry blood over his temple. Legs pulled up and those eyes staring to the closed door ahead.

"Jamie." My voice was barely audible, but his head immediately spun to me, startled, as if I just screamed his name on his ear.

Jas nodded his head to his boss before turning around and leaving us alone.

The silence was unbearable. The fear of losing Edward was driving me insane.

"The attack…we didn't see it coming." He said, much to himself. I then sat beside him, just listening. It was true. That was a sudden move. Because before the call, Edward was with me and Jamie was in his club, partying.

"How is he?"

"He's on surgery."

* * *

Hours later the door was being opened. Both Jamie and I stood up immediately, eager to hear about Edward's condition. The man in scrubs walked out. And I couldn't hide my surprise when I found it was Carlisle. The blond man didn't look like the doctor type for me.

"The bleeding stopped and he's stable. For now." He said before we could ask him anything. Relief came over me. My heartbeat slowed to its normal rhythm.

"Thank God." Jamie looked up to ceiling briefly like he really did mean it. He was afraid to lose him too after all.

"Now let me check your wounds." Carlisle said firmly, leaving no room to argue. But those identical blues met with the same stubbornness.

"I'm fine, Pa."

He scoffed, unhappy. "Don't be so sure."

"It's—"

"Hey, he's right. Your wounds should be treated too." I said, making him to sigh exasperatedly. Carlisle was watching the interaction intently.

"And you should take a rest." Jamie mocked cynically. It had been a long night and I couldn't say I wasn't tired. We all were.

"Fine. I will."

* * *

I woke up feeling anxious and worried. I was a second away from running to Edward's room when Hailey made her presence known.

"Whoa, where are you going?" she asked, intentionally blocking my path, standing right where she was. "Sit down. You look shitty."

I was about to argue, but didn't have a better reply. She cocked her head to the side.

She was daring me and waiting for it.

"You know you can't wake the prince from his beauty sleep looking like that." Hailey shook his head dramatically. It was her way to make me less worry. And sometimes I was glad for a good distraction.

"I take it he's okay." I exhaled, turning around and getting back to the couch.

She smiled. And it was unbelievably sincere. "He has survived a lot of things, B. Last night was nothing compared to the others."

"It still scares me."

"I know."

* * *

I showered. I ate my breakfast. As the color in my face returned and I looked decent enough, Hailey let me to see him. He was good, she said. Already conscious, even though now he was back sleeping.

I sat on the chair beside his bed. Just watching him. It was calm and silent with only the two of us in the room. Hailey decided to see his brother to let us be. Which I was so grateful for.

I sat there for almost an hour before he stirred. Those lids fluttered open a moment later. Greens staring back at me. He blinked and moved his body a little, but winched in pain.

"Hey. You okay?" I asked, couldn't help with the concern in my voice. The sight of him like this was terrifying to me.

He nodded and I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together. He watched it for a moment before responding with a light squeeze.

"It's okay." He soothed.

"I was so afraid."

"I'm here now." He said, lifting my hand to give it a kiss. But even the gesture couldn't calm me. "It's over. We have destroyed them." He added.

I wanted to yell I didn't care. About the Alvarrez or this mob life.

I wanted to say it didn't change anything. That there was always another Alvarrez and this was the scene I would never want to watch again.

I wanted to say I hated him. For holding an important role in the family.

But he was already on the top, the man in charge, long before I was thrust into this. The center of the black circle he created.

I knew he couldn't leave. And he knew I couldn't fit.

I sighed in defeat. He caught it but didn't say anything.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long. You know how complicated real life can be. *cry***


	20. Chapter 20

_"_ _We won't survive. We're sinking into the sand."—Lana_

* * *

Three days later, Edward looked like that shot never happened. He was back to his office, dealing with the works he had left. To say I was amazed would be an understatement. He made me regret to worry about him when he was so casual about it. His daily life had returned. And all I could do was just watching from the outside of the circle.

Everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as we could get.

He carried on, but I was stuck in that moment. Realizing that I was fucked for the feeling I had for him. And I bet he was fucked too. Because there was no going back right now.

In the end, we were just two lonely souls that accidentally collided.

Like no other nights before, I was getting ready to sleep at ten. I was climbing to the bed when Edward entered our room. It was so silent. And I couldn't describe the look he gave me. His eyes were serene, but there was storm hidden somewhere. A determination. It was like quitting yet setting a fresh start at the same time.

He stood beside the bed. Hands deep in his pockets. And for the fucking first time, I saw an unmistakable sorrow in those greens. As though they had been holding too much—emotional—pain since forever. Now that he let me see, he made sure to unveil everything with that stare alone.

"I want to show you something." He said. From his tone, I knew it was something serious.

I didn't know what to expect, but I got up as he turned around, following quietly behind in my sleepwear.

He didn't say anything after that. Just leading us upstairs to the third floor. A place where I had never been before.

We were walking down the hall. Almost side by side because I kinda held onto his elbow. There was something about the atmosphere that didn't feel quite right. It wasn't scary or whatsoever. It was just…a bit uncomfortable. And I didn't know why.

We stopped in front of the closed door. Edward gazed straight ahead as if he could look through it. His jaw stiffened. And it seemed like he was memorizing something painful. His usual piercing eyes were now kinda empty. Again, I couldn't figure out why.

"Behind this door is the truth. That I think you need to know." He said to the silence.

His seriousness made me nervous.

And I hated that his smile looked so depressed.

I touched the back of his hand. Wanting to know yet not at all. The secrets that he wasn't too sure he was ready to reveal.

He finally opened the door and stepped aside to let me come in first. I hesitated, but I walked into the room anyway.

There were so many stuffs here I didn't know what to look first. The room was huge, but it was covered by dust and kind of abandoned.

I got a bad vibe immediately. Still, my feet couldn't stop to move further. Eyes searching, wandering around. Even though I didn't know what I was looking for.

There was a bed in the corner completed with its pastel cover sets. Tables, chairs, sofa. Boxes everywhere. This room definitely belonged to someone. Or used to.

I walked over to the bedside table and something caught my eyes right away.

A picture in a silver frame.

I picked it up so I could look more closely.

It was a little girl, smiling perfectly to the camera with that loose hair and white dress. So adorable and beautiful. I was instantly mesmerized and it was just a picture.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?" he said from behind me as if he could read my mind.

I spun around and was met with those miserable eyes again. He looked like he couldn't bear to be here.

The silence was maddening. But I waited patiently for him to say anything. To explain anything.

His face hardened and his cold expression resurfaced. The greens held too much hatred, shading the sadness. It was scary.

"She was my daughter." He told in one breath while I wasn't ready.

His words shocked the hell out of me. The picture that I held almost slipped out of my hand.

It was silent all over again, but we couldn't look away from each other. He was waiting for me to regain my composure and I was waiting for him to tell me more.

He bent to take something out of the box. Another picture.

He handed it to me.

Now there was one more person in the picture. A woman. An adult version of the girl. They were standing side by side, holding hands. They both looked so alike. From the color of their hair to the way they smiled. The little girl was an identical copy of her. The woman was undoubtedly the mom. His wife.

I didn't know how to react right now. The information, it was too much to take. The secrets. The revelation. I barely handled it.

"What happened?" I whispered. It was the question that soon I realized the answer. And I regretted I ever asked.

His smile did break me. But his next words killed me. "They died. Five years ago." He spoke before adding harshly. "I watched them die with my own fucking eyes, Bella." I swayed. Almost losing my footing.

It hurt so badly, watching him dealing with so much pain all this time.

I reached out. Wrapping my arms around his middle because I needed him close.

He cried in silence. And I cried with him too.

"I killed the fucker. I killed his wife and his children. His parents. His brother. His sister. I killed his entire family." He paused, hugging me tighter and catching his breath because of the emotions. "But you know what? It was useless. I couldn't bring them back. Nothing could bring them back."

* * *

He was a mess. After his breakdown and the recall of his worst memories, he was hot and cold. Sometimes he would hold me close and tight all night, but then distancing himself from me in the morning. Confusing, but I understood. He needed time. And five years weren't enough to cope with the loss.

Still, his attitude was kinda frustrating. I felt bad for his men becoming his punching bag. His anger was terrifying. The only one who could level him was Jamie. When they met, the house was on fire. These two were constantly fighting over something.

This was one of those moments. Here came the yelling again. From the sitting room inside.

"I need you to be alerted, J. And for fucks sake, watch your fucking back!"

I and Hailey pretended we didn't hear anything. It was easier if we just ignored them. At least, it would be less messy.

"What the fuck? It's your job to get things smooth with the cops. And it's not my fucking fault that you fail such an easy task."

"Don't fucking blame me. You're just too damn careless!"

"We paid them a shit ton of money, Edward. I can be careless as long as I want. They shouldn't be anywhere near my ass!"

"Not all those fuckers can be bought, Jamie. Some still have the fucking moral." He spat.

"Yeah, of course." He replied cynically.

"Just stay lowkey for awhile."

"I know what I should do." He muttered.

"Oh, I'm surprised."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Your mood has been so shitty lately."

Hailey glanced at me almost immediately with a smirk on her lips.

"How can I not? You all fucked up."

I imagined Jamie rolling his eyes.

"Bullshit." He replied. "Tell me. Is it about her?"

Now I was really listening.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Definitely her." Jamie concluded. "What now? What did she do?"

"Shut up."

Edward obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"You know what, if you can't handle her, just let her go."

"Like hell."

* * *

Since that day, Edward busied himself with works. Both the illegal and legal ones. He went to Miami to do his business for the weekend while I was left alone with no distraction.

So, on Saturday night I decided to go to Midnight Sun. With Paul, of course.

We arrived at ten. I climbed out of the Rover and was quickly ushered to the VIP entry, earning some envious glances from people. As soon as I was in, I went straight to the bar and ordered a drink. Something strong. Paul looked like he wanted to complain, but in the end decided to keep his mouth shut.

Contrast to the luxury around me, I was honestly wearing nothing fancy. Just highwaisted jeans and cropped top. That was why people kept giving me stink eye. They thought I didn't belong here. Well, ironically, they were right.

I sat on the bar for an hour, just enjoying the ambience of the club when the owner himself came down to greet me. I wasn't surprised. News spread fast.

"Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, _principessa_?"

Jamie. He was leaning against the bar not far from my stool.

I smiled. Because I was already on my second drink.

"Just want to see the famous place in town."

He smirked. "Pretty boring, isn't it?"

"Unlike Black Moon, the first impression isn't that bad." I replied, emptying the liquid in my glass.

"Is that a compliment?" I shrugged. He offered his hand for me to take. "Come on. I'll show you around."

I got up from my seat and followed him to the second floor. He brought me to the lounge that was less crowded. We sat there across from each other while Paul chose a place nowhere near us.

"Your watchdog for the weekend?" he asked, gesturing to Paul.

"Apparently."

"Won't stop me from kidnapping you." He winked. I laughed. "Well, you can't fool me with that laugh. What's wrong?"

"Can I have my drink first?" I tried to dodge the question.

"Boring choice." He sneered. "Let's just smoke, then."

And by he meant smoke, we all knew it was weed.

"No. I'm not touching that stuff."

"For fucks sake, don't call my babies _stuff_. It's just disrespectful."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. My apology."

He ignored my sarcasm.

"What do you want? I have molly, crack, percocet, meth. Name it."

"Always so persistent." I commented.

That signature smirk again. "Come on, B. Have fun a little."

"Do you know I was an addict once?" I asked out of the blue, surprising myself with the confession.

"Of course. I read all about your background."

"So?"

"Oh, don't be dramatic. I won't let you die." He took out a bottle of pills from his front jacket and put it on the table between us. Was he crazy? Did he really carry it everywhere?

"I'm not touching it."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Your loss."

Jamie called the waitress and soon our drinks were served. Scotch for him and gin and tonic for me.

I sipped my drink as he just sat there, watching me. Waiting.

"Edward. He told me everything." I blurted out. "About his…wife and daughter."

His face quickly lost the traces of humor.

"So you gain his trust." He said.

I nodded. "Finally."

His expression turned dead serious. "Don't fuck it up."

"I won't." I assured him.

"Good." He lifted his glass to his mouth and gulped down his scotch. It was silent for a moment before he continued. "He hardly tolerates an outsider, B. Let alone trust. So yeah, I think it's official now. You are really part of the family."

He was right. It was a sign that Edward trusted me. That I was approved in the family. Yet ironically, our relationship was like taking three or five steps backward. He was distancing himself from me again.

"I don't know he has been through so much." I shook my head in disbelief. It was scary how life could be so unfair.

"Dark days."

"What happened, actually? I mean…how?"

"They were kidnapped. It was just…so fucking awful." Anger in his voice. And I realized I was opening old wounds. "It was the worst day in our lives. We're still mourning." His jaw hardened at the memory. "I mean, Alissa was just five at that time for God's sake. What the hell was that sick fucker thinking when he shot her? My niece was as pure as an angel."

"And Edward had to…"

"Witness it, yes." He added the words for me. "It tortured him for years. And still do. He is the strongest person I know."

"It was so inhuman." I said.

"Well, humanity is extinct, Bella." He replied like it was obvious before glancing down at his Rolex. "It's late. You should go home."

"Yeah, you're right." I sighed then getting up from my seat. Paul was beside me in seconds.

"You sure you can still walk straight?"

I rolled my eyes.

* * *

 **:)**


	21. Chapter 21

_"_ _Blue hydrangea, cold cash, divine. Cashmere, cologne and white sunshine."—Lana_

* * *

On Sunday, I woke up with the worst headache. And in this moment I was grateful I had Paul in the house. The man had a potent cure for the hangover.

I spent the entire day absolutely doing nothing. It was a lazy day and I was too tired to engage myself with some activities. Mostly I just lied on the couch or reread this month's _Vogue_. Yeah, so interesting.

Around three, Jamie came to the house. Dressed so casual in dark jeans and t-shirt. He sported a usual bun and wide smile. But my attention diverted the second I spotted a box of chocolate in his hand. I freaked out. Because I was a hardcore chocolate lover. Like, seriously. It wasn't totally healthy, I know, but come on. It was chocolate.

"Is that for me?" I asked, even before he had a chance to sit. I couldn't hide the excitement. Hell, I thought I was bouncing impatiently in my seat.

"Well, hello to you too, _principessa_." He greeted. But my eyes were already on the prize. It was Godiva. "No kiss for me, huh?"

No what?

He chuckled, but handed me the box in the end. I opened it wordlessly and God. What's inside even more beautiful than the packaging itself.

"Is it good?" he asked as I took a piece into my mouth. I nodded my head. Couldn't find a word to describe the rich taste. He picked one from the box and devoured it, humming contently.

"Damn, I feel like I'm alive again." I said after a moment.

He raised one eyebrow. "You mean you've been dead all this time, huh?"

"A part of me, yes." I replied honestly.

"You stay, though." Those blues were confused. But I didn't want to talk about it.

"Yeah, so."

"So."

"Why are you here?" I inquired after a pause.

His smirk was cocky. "I can be here whenever with no particular reason, B."

"Right."

"Let's take a ride. I'm bored." He said. Yet his tone was mischievous.

"Only if you let me drive." I challenged him.

If it was Edward, he would definitely say no in less than a second. But Jamie, well, he was a bit unpredictable. No, I never thought he would really hand me the key of his Bugatti. It was like, the love of his life.

"Don't scratch it." He warned.

"I won't." My smile was wide.

* * *

It was such a chilly afternoon, but I loved it. It had been a long time since I drove around the city. And the fact that I was driving a fast car just added the sprinkles to the cake. I liked the wind blowing up my hair when we let the windows down. I felt free. Sea breeze, beach waves, and salty air. This was so refreshing. I was a normal girl for a minute.

Jamie, on the other hand, didn't seem to enjoy the ride. Every time I sped up or did some maneuvers, he would lose his shit. I wanted to roll my eyes. He was over exaggerating. This was obviously safer compared to the way he drove.

"How did you even get your license?" he commented. Not proud at all. "You're driving like a maniac." I ignored the maniac thing. If this was maniac, how did he describe his?

"I don't have my license." I honked to several cars that got in the way.

"What?"

"Well, I did. But I lost it. It's expired anyway."

"Unbelievable." He said. As if it was a really, really bad thing. I bit my tongue on his false concern. Hell, this was much holier than his crimes.

"Where do you suggest we go?" I asked finally when I realized we were just passing the same road for the third times.

"There's a small bar I know you'll like."

"Okay."

The bar was just five minutes away. And when he said small, it really was. The place was simple. The walls were plain blue in the color of the ocean. Some tropical house music was played in the background. Beach vibe all over. I had never pictured him in this kind of place before. But he was right. I liked it. A lot.

We made our way to the empty chairs in the corner. We sat and then the waitress took our orders. Not long after that, our mimosas were served. I sipped mine and he sipped his. But his blatant stare behind the rim of the glass bothered me.

"What?"

He placed the glass back on the table. Arms folded in front of his chest. "I just wonder how it would be if you met me first instead of Edward."

I briefly wondered about it too. "Would it be less ugly, though?"

"Probably. I don't know." He shrugged.

"You're less complicated than him." I stated it like a fact. That was true. Jamie was open and tended to be spontaneous. Meanwhile Edward was full of secrets and so calculated.

"I am." He smirked. "And I bet we could be more—"

"Mr. Salucci." A man abruptly stopped by our table, cutting off his words. He had tan skin, black hair and well-built body. And although he addressed Jamie, no need to be a genius to realize that he observed me more intently.

Jamie seemed like he regretted he didn't see him coming. But soon, he replaced the look with a sardonic smile. "Officer Uley." He replied. Of course the man was a law enforcer. If not, Jamie wouldn't look this wary.

"Sorry to interrupt your date with Miss…" He paused. But none of us was stupid enough to fill him in with the information. I couldn't believe I didn't mess up, though. "Never mind. I saw you two and I thought I would stop to say hi." He said. As if the two of them were long time best friends.

"Oh, really? Too bad we're leaving now."

Jamie left his money on the table and got up. I followed him swiftly.

"Maybe another time." The man nodded his head. It was like he had expected we would leave on his presence.

Jamie didn't reply. He didn't even cast a glance at the officer.

We just exited the bar and drove away from there.

* * *

The trip home was a little bit tense. Jamie was behind the wheel now. Yet his focus remained somewhere else. I wanted to ask him questions, but at the same time didn't want to disturb the silence.

We arrived at the house fifteen minutes later. We slid out the car and walked inside. To the usual sitting room where my _Vogue_ and the chocolate box spread carelessly on the coffee table.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I found Edward sitting on the couch. Those piercing greens were dark. One look and the universe knew he wasn't happy. But his unhappiness seemingly lifted Jamie's mood.

"I told you to stay lowkey for awhile." Edward said in clipped tone. Anger flared in his eyes.

"And I didn't do anything except taking your girl out for a drink." Jamie replied, grinning from ear to ear. Edward tried to be unaffected.

"Uley is obsessed dragging your ass to the jail." He reminded him.

"Yeah. He was following me today."

"Of course, he was." Edward said mockingly. "That's why I need you to stay at the fucking home and disappear from public eye."

"Alright, _father_." He sneered. Turning on his heel, he strode out of the room. But not before stealing a kiss on my cheek. "See you later, B." He yelled on the way out. A big smile plastered on his lips.

"Fucker." Edward muttered under his breath. I just stood there awkwardly, didn't know what to do.

It was just the two of us right now. And I saw how his mood worsened.

"How's your trip?" I asked, trying to make a small talk. I couldn't endure this intense silence.

"Good."

It was tense.

Then he got up, ignoring me and going upstairs. Without looking at my way. Why was he angry again?

I spent two more hours in the sitting room just because I didn't think I was ready to breath in the same air with him.

I went to our room after three pieces of chocolate and when I was sure I was super calm. He wasn't there, though. Probably in his office. Again. Whatever. I got used to it.

I decided to spoil myself with a good bath. Three Jo Malone candles were lit. The bathtub was filled by water and petals of the flowers I stole from the living room. I tied my hair up and took my clothes off before getting in. The bathroom smelled so freaking amazing. It was a mix between roses, honey and a hint of vanilla. It made me relax in seconds.

But of course, this peaceful moment didn't last long because Edward had to interrupt it. I cursed myself. One crucial thing I forgot was locking the door.

He entered the bathroom like nobody's business—well, what could I say? It was his after all—then rummaged in the cabinet under the sink.

"It looks pretty relaxing."

I doubted I heard him right.

My head spun to him, but he was still busy looking for something.

"Now you acknowledge me?" I couldn't hide the bitterness in my voice. I knew I should be more patient with him, but it was getting tiring.

He straightened his back and turned around to me.

Looked like he had found what he was looking for because now he was holding a gun. I tried not to sink my body further into the water.

"I don't have time for this." He told me. I didn't have time to fight with him either, but his attitude made my childish side appear.

"You always don't have time." I replied sarcastically.

Edward approached me slowly. And I got a feeling he didn't put the gun away intentionally.

He stopped right on the side of the bathtub and hovered over me. I was full alerted now.

"Remember when I almost killed you in the bathtub?" he asked dangerously calm. Those images were flipping through my head almost immediately. The memories that I didn't want to recall at all. "I'm still the same person, _bellissima_." I froze. Chill ran down my spine and it wasn't because I was cold.

The silence after that sentence was too maddening. I didn't even dare to look at him.

He then walked away without saying anything. Leaving me alone whisper _I miss you_ to the empty room.

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling worse than the day before. Last night I finally gave up and swallowed two sleeping pills that I found in the drawer because my mind couldn't seem to shut down.

I couldn't stop thinking about the gap he put between us. It was like he only destroyed his wall to build another. He opened up for a second before locking me outside. I was aware from the beginning that this, _us_ , wasn't going to work. Yet I was still holding on.

I went downstairs after I washed my face. Hoping I could catch up with him before he went out to somewhere he didn't bother to tell.

But luck wasn't n my side. I spotted _her_ instead. There, sitting on the couch, with _Vogue_ — _my Vogue_ —on her lap.

Imagine my surprise to find Rosalie in this house.

What the hell was she doing here?

Her head snapped up quickly as she realized my presence. She unfolded his legs and stood up. Towering over me in those killer heels. Her eyes were full of hatred, but a satisfied mocking grin was playing on her lips.

"I know who you really are, _little girl_. You can't fool me." She said rudely. There was a challenge in her tone. "I'll make sure they know the truth."

"What are you talking about?"

The bitch ignored me.

"You better pack your shit before they kick you out. You don't belong here anyway."

* * *

 **Tell me what you think :)**


	22. Chapter 22

_**"You know you're the coolest. The world is yours."-Lana**_

* * *

 **EPOV**

I fucking hated myself. Really, I did. I knew I was a selfish bastard. That was like my nature. I hurt her yet I wanted to keep her. She didn't deserve it, of course. _Me_. And _this life_.

It was partly her fault, though. I gave her a choice and she threw it away without a second thought. Choosing to stay. It was a stupid choice. My girl was so fucking naïve.

I should have warned her. She should think it through. Because liked it or not, now she was stuck with me.

I admitted that we, _us_ , were far from perfect. I had already broken even before we started. While she had already given too much that it was unfair for her. But in the end, we fell. Hard. The feeling was strong. Pulling us to each other until nothing mattered. Too strong to the point I lost my sanity. And that was it. I fucking lost it.

Never thought I would share my dark past with someone. Because as far as anyone in my family—my organization—knew about that _day_ , about the death of them, it had become a silent rule among us to not discuss it. That day was buried down to the ground just like their bodies.

No one was talking about them. No one dared to mention or breathe their names.

And here I was, telling her everything. For what, I didn't know. Maybe I wanted to let her in. Maybe I wanted her to see how broken I was. Maybe I just wanted to tell her the truth.

It was crazy and confusing as fuck. I wasn't aware the feeling that I had for her affected me this greatly. And all of a sudden, I was not ready. Then, of course, came the stupid move. I retreated and thought it over. I pushed her away. Again.

A sick part of me clapped me in the back and smiled proudly as though I did a good job. _He_ saw her as a complication. A weakness. Because this feeling I never had for anyone in years was overpowering. _He_ , that sick part of me, convinced me that I didn't fucking need her.

But the hell I didn't.

I needed her just like breathing.

Fuck.

And it always pained me to no end seeing those eyes turn sad every time I turned my back on her.

The noise outside my office in Black Moon pulled me out of my thoughts. My focus immediately returned to the present.

The door was opened after that. Revealing a figure with her signature golden blond and sharp blue eyes. Two men tailing behind her, throwing me an apology look. I waved them off, dismissing them. It wasn't their fault, I knew. Rosalie was a persistent bitch. They hurriedly exited my office, shutting the door behind them.

"It's getting old, Rose." I said with no interest. This attitude of hers was getting old. Someone needed to remind her where to stand.

"Listen to me, Edward—"

"You came to see her this morning." I stated matter-of-factly. Paul informed me earlier about her visit to my house. He said the two of them, she and Bella, exchanged a few words.

She glared at me. "She needs to know what's coming to her."

"And I need you to stay the fuck out of my business."

"Open your eyes, Edward. Don't you see her existence odd?" God knows she was trying, but I wasn't in my best mood today. "Did you do a background check on her?"

It was such a funny question. I really needed her to stop talking because if not, I would probably choke her to death.

"I want you out now, Rose." I said through my teeth.

She, being as stubborn as she was, couldn't have it, of course.

"There's something off with her. The dots are not connected."

"Out, Rose." It was her last warning.

She didn't listen, so I told my men to drag her out of here.

* * *

By midnight, my phone rang. I frowned at the caller id, but decided to answer anyway. It was Paul.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry, Boss. I don't mean to disturb you, but she insists." He sighed, frustrated. She meant Bella. I felt him, really. She could be so stubborn when she wanted to.

"Pass the phone to her." I said.

He did it immediately. I could hear the rustling sound in the background before her soft voice filled my ear.

"Edward?"

"Yeah, baby?" the words were sweet, but my tone was cold. I couldn't fucking help it. I almost felt her wince at that.

"When will you be home?" it was barely a whisper. She definitely regretted to call me and had this conversation.

"When I'm done with work." I grunted. Not giving her the best answer. But her next question surprised me.

"How much longer?" she asked boldly. I raised my eyebrow. That was unexpected. And she caught me off the guard. "Edward?"

"Sleep, Bella." I said when I recovered. "Don't wait for me."

* * *

I was home at four in the morning. The house was deserted. I went upstairs, hearing my own steps echo in the hall.

My room was already dark when I got there. I entered quietly and went straight to the bedroom. It was a habit to shower after I spent hours with that business shit. As soon as I was done, I wrapped a towel around my middle. Before grabbing my boxer from the drawer in the closet.

Walking over the bed, I couldn't help but watching her peaceful face as she slept. The duvet just draped around her waist, revealing a silk nightgown that she was wearing. I almost groaned at the sight.

I climbed to the bed and settled beside her. She stirred in her sleep.

And as if it wasn't enough, those eyes fluttered open after that. Squinting to adjust the darkness.

"Edward?" she mumbled sleepily.

I barely glanced at her.

She didn't hesitate when she scooted closer until our chests were glued to each other. And yes, I could feel her fucking nipples. God, the timing sucked.

"Bella." I said her name like a warning.

She put her arms around my neck, didn't seem to mind my protest. Rejecting her was hard enough for me. Didn't she see?

"No, I'm not going anywhere." She replied. Almost harshly.

I missed her too, but fuck.

I removed her hands from me and sat up straight. She looked like she wanted to cry, but my mind was too chaotic to process it all. It was easier to her remember me as an ass anyway.

"I'll sleep in the office."

* * *

 **BPOV**

I cried myself to sleep. I cried until I was tired, surrounded by silence and dark. I hated him. I fucking hated him to the point I really wanted to hurt him.

Why was he doing this to me? Did he not want me here?

I woke up later around eleven. With puffy eyes and dried tears. I quickly changed into t-shirt and shorts before going to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. My reflection in the mirror was a mess. But I couldn't care less.

I intended to go to the kitchen. I was hungry as hell because yesterday I skipped breakfast and dinner. Edward really got into my mind and Rosalie just ruined the breakfast for me.

Speaking of the devil.

I didn't know if I was imagining things, but I heard her voice. From the door at the end of this corridor. It was Edward's office.

My feet moved. And before I knew it, I was by his door, eavesdropping. The voices were much clearer now.

"Think about it, Edward. How can you trust her so easily?"

It was her. It was definitely Rosalie.

I wouldn't lie my heart did break a little.

He was with her. He could be with her, but he couldn't fucking stand me?

"I'm not discussing this with you, Rose."

"She starts all of this mess."

He chuckled. "You don't know anything."

"Jesus, open your eyes. Why are you defending her?" she paused. "Wait, do you love her?"

There was a wishful thinking for a split second before he really answered that question. I already knew what it would be yet I still hoped, though.

His reply was immediate.

"No. What are you talking about?"

It was as if he wanted to laugh it off.

It hurt. It hurt so bad hearing it from his mouth.

I ran back to my room. Lying on my bed and just staring at the ceiling. Repeating the words he said in my mind.

God, I was so pathetic. I couldn't even cry right now. I was so, so numb.

My heart shattered, but I didn't bother to collect the pieces anymore.

It was useless. I was hurt, still. And probably would be hurt more. Tiring. So tiring.

It was stupid to think that I wasn't alone. It was just stupid.

I definitely was. Alone.

* * *

I heard the door being opened. Even without looking at it, I knew it wasn't Edward.

"Until when you're gonna lock yourself in here, B?"

It was Jamie.

"Why are you here?" I asked, straight to the point.

He sat on the edge of the bed.

"I left my own party for you." He said as if I needed to know it.

"And?" I raised my eyebrow, finally looking at him. Those blues were so bright in the dark.

"The least you can do is dress up and join me. And for fucks sake, wipe those fucking tears."

I scoffed.

"I'm not crying."

I wasn't.

"Whatever. Come on."

* * *

Jamie's house was packed. Girls and girls and girls. They were clinging to his side by the time he strode in to the room. I had to roll my eyes at the scene. They looked at him like he was God or something. It was ridiculous.

Hailey was in the kitchen, sitting on the floor in the corner, already high as hell. Still, I approached her anyway. Her smile was wide, but empty. She passed me the drink she was holding.

"What's in it?" I inquired.

She massaged her temple. "Can't handle questions right now. Give it back to me if you don't want it."

I drank it then. And Hailey snickered right away.

She looked like she was in her own world.

I probably followed her soon, though.

Jamie appeared in front of us ten minutes later with a cig in hand. His sister was now lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with such interest. But of course, he barely glanced at her.

"Do you need something stronger?" he asked as though he could read the problem by looking at my face.

"I'm good."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged

"Is Paul here?" Hailey chimed in.

"No." Jamie replied before sat beside me.

"No? Why?"

"Because I don't want him in my house. And he doesn't want to meet you." He rolled his eyes. Hailey sat up straight now.

"You're an ass." She snapped. "The world knows the reason he's avoiding me is because you loser fuckers threaten him."

He took a long drag from his cigarette and ignored her completely.

Hailey was out of the room not long after that.

It was a rare scene, to be honest. I had never seen them fight before. Plus I never thought the Paul thing was serious until she burst about it. If she was frustrated, she covered it well.

"Will she be okay?" I asked, concerned that she would do something she would regret.

"She knows her limit." He assured me. Like it wasn't the first time it happened.

"She really like him, doesn't she?"

He shrugged as though it didn't matter.

"She can't be with him."

"Why? Because you and Edward don't approve it?"

"It's none of your business, B." He said simply.

"You're so selfish."

"Who? Me or Edward?"

I didn't reply to the question. Instead I told him. "Rosalie was in the house today. And the day before."

"So, that's why you're being gloomy."

"She doesn't want me near him."

"I bet." He smirked. "And before you ask, I let you know that she is our childhood friend. Not more. She has been always protective like that for ages."

"She hates me with passion."

"She's suspicious of your motives."

"What? I don't do anything."

"Don't mind her then."

"I can't not mind her, Jamie. She's—"

"Persistent and beautiful?" he raised his eyebrow. "Making you insecure?"

"I would say annoying."

He laughed out loud.

None of us was talking for a full minute.

But the alcohol made me so open. Or maybe it was the person that made me so comfortable.

"He said he doesn't love me."

"Love is not easy for someone like him, Bella."

I wrapped my arms around myself.

"I know. But the gap between us is getting wider, J." I sighed. "I feel so alone."

He stubbed out his cigarette and turned to me, holding the side of my face. "You're not alone. I'm here, okay?"

"It hurts so much."

"Hey. Don't cry." His thumbs wiped the tears away. God, I didn't even know I was crying.

"Make the pain go away." I whispered. Almost desperately.

That was when he kissed me.


	23. Chapter 23

_"_ _I got a feeling in my bones. Can't get you out of my veins. You can't escape my affection. Wrap you up in my daisy chains."—Queen Lana_

* * *

"Why did you do that?" I pushed him away, but he hardly moved an inch. Those clear blues were amused, staring at my panic reaction.

"I'm not sorry." He shrugged impassively. Like this shit didn't bother him at all. I wondered if he was high or just had a death wish.

I got up. He remained and leaned against the wall.

"This is not some kind of game, Jamie." I almost yelled. Some girls were looking at us with same exact curiosity. God, I hated to draw attention.

"Who says it is?" he questioned.

I didn't have the answer for that and I couldn't be here any longer either. So I went out of the room. And the house.

That was when I realized how stupid I was.

How in the hell could I go back to Edward's house? Paul wasn't here. And fuck no, I wouldn't ask Jamie to drive me. After weighing my options, I decided to freaking walk. And what a long walk it was. I walked for a half hour until I was in the main road. Then I hailed a cab.

Paul was in the driveway when I arrived. Well, thank God for the good timing. Someone needed to pay for the cab.

I went straight to my room and of course, Edward wasn't there.

I should be relieved. But I wasn't. That didn't mean his presence calm me either. I was restless because I felt guilty. And I admitted I was afraid he knew. He sure as hell wouldn't take this kindly. What would he do?

I couldn't sleep at all. And it was not unusual for me. I was thinking about the risks. The choices I had. I didn't have many, to be honest. Whatever I chose, it would just turn ugly. I'd better be the one who told him, though. So, he would know my side of story.

I was up until six a.m. before falling asleep. And was woken up two hours later by the sound of the door shutting closed. It was Edward. I recognized that striking bronze hair anywhere. He went to the bathroom with his back on me the entire time. I sat up straight and didn't bother to tame my hair. I was preparing for the war. Which likely would end terrible.

After five minutes of silence, except for the sound of water running, I encouraged myself.

"Edward?" it came out unsure and awkward. Especially when he didn't answer. Well, I knew he heard me, but yeah, he just chose to ignore it. God, his attitude was irritating.

I got up and decided to welcome the war. The moment I stood by the doorframe, he was leaning over the sink. I watched how drops of water fell from his hair and ran to his now bare back. It was impossible to miss that against the tattoos.

I looked away from the sight and inspected my toes instead.

"I have something to tell you." I said finally. My voice was small. The guilt was clear.

He replied, though. Thank God. "About what?"

I could almost see his jaw harden at that and all of a sudden, I wasn't ready to meet those angry greens.

"I…"

How could you confess something you didn't mean to happen?

Damn it.

"Is it about Jamie?" my head shot up immediately. Only to find Edward had turned around and stood tall in front of me. I was distracted by the fresh bruises on his face, so I didn't catch his next words.

"What?"

He smirked. The wicked kind.

"He told me he kissed you." The way he said it gave me goosebumps. He was insanely calm. It was really scary.

"I-I…"

"Do you like him?" he cut in. His eyebrow raised and I thought I might take a step back. I shook my head because I couldn't fucking speak. "Good. Just forget it ever fucking happened, okay?"

That was it? This wasn't the type of war I had anticipated.

"Okay?" he repeated. And I nodded my head quickly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take a shower."

I removed myself from the door and he didn't waste any time to close it.

I froze in my place for another minute.

Shit. He wasn't angry. Why?

I expected him to yell profanities and kick me out of the house. Yet he did none of them. Did he really forgive me? Or he was just preparing my funeral without me knowing? Since day one, Edward was always being hard to read. And, seriously, although it could have been worse, the situation didn't make me relieved either.

After I couldn't come up with a better guess of his motive, I went downstairs to the kitchen. The breakfast was served on the dining table and one of the chairs was occupied. It was Hailey. Her sunglasses on, but even I knew she only had her eyes to the person outside in the pool area.

I joined her and sat on her left. She now gained her composure.

"Morning, B." She greeted, smiling so wide like she was proud of me.

"You're early." I dipped some chips to the small bowl of guacamole and put them into my mouth.

"I'm here to see Edward." She said before corrected herself. "Well, I mean the bruises. I need to see them."

What?

"What's the deal?" I asked. Did shit go wrong last night? Who else came toward him? Alvarrez was dead. Maybe that was why he didn't take 'that kiss accident' seriously. He got something else—something more important—on his mind.

She gave me a sly grin. She looked like she wanted to rub her hands together too.

"They fought last night. It was so fucking intense I was sober immediately." I really tried to understand, but failed miserably. "Too bad Jas and Em were there." She added. Then her gaze fell to her cousin who was now descending the stairs. Edward was dressed in jeans and t-shirt. Hair was wet and fresh from the shower.

Hailey squealed. And I almost jumped because of it.

"Jamie's face is more fucked up, I know it!"

Edward scowled. Well, now I _kinda_ understood.

"The fucker deserves it."

He sat with us, right in front of me and so casually put the enchilada to his plate. I squirmed in my seat while they had a chat about it.

"The last time you two fought like that was when you believed he stole your favorite gun." She pointed out.

"He did steal it." He grunted. "And it was the gift from _nonno_."

Hailey turned to me. Still with the same excitement.

"Ah, I wish you stayed a lil bit longer last night, B."

I'd rather not. Thank you very much.

Edward was eating in silence. But those eyes, they were watching me intently, blatantly. The fire and fury behind them were too obvious. Yes. Now I knew he didn't take this as lightly as it appeared. His silent anger was a lot more terrifying. I was always alerted when he was so composed and calculated. He was the mastermind of his own games.

I sipped my water and tried hard not to choke because of the intensity of his stare. Hell, even Hailey felt the need to leave and give us some privacy.

I put down the glass as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

The man didn't say anything yet with one look he was warning me. I couldn't mess up my second chance.

"I'm sorry." I said. Genuinely. Because I really meant it. That kiss wasn't supposed to happen.

"You should be." His dark smirk was beyond demonic. It gave me chills. "I don't blame you, though. Sometimes he just doesn't know the limit."

No. I felt like, in fact, he partly blamed me.

"I don't have _that_ kind of feeling toward him, Edward." I convinced him. He needed to know that.

"I trust you." He said. It sounded too nonchalant and easy coming from his mouth. "Now pack your bags. We're leaving for Havana tonight."

* * *

 **EPOV**

These days had been very stressful, let me tell you. Uley was back at it again lurking somewhere waiting for us to get fucked up, Rose was just being noisy as usual, and I was over thinking about Bella. Well, the peak of it was the moment I came by Jamie's house and he dropped the fucking bomb. The way he said 'I kissed your girl' made me want to kill him right there on the spot. Fucking asshole. I hoped I cracked some bones.

It was no wonder that he told me right away what he just did. We were so open with each other since we were young. Truth hurt, but it was still the truth. Our family was solid because we had always been honest to each other.

Still, shit.

I had reminded him many times that I wouldn't share Bella yet what did he do? Words didn't work so punches might do.

We never fought that hard before. Not since that stealing gun accident as Hailey mentioned. It was crazy how it proved I really cared for her. This shit was way deeper than I thought.

A buzz on the table pulled me out of my musings. I glanced at the screen on my phone only to see a text from Jamie.

 _Tell me she's okay_.

Oh, the motherfucker was worried. Bella should be the least of his concern, though. We all knew I'd rather kill him than her.

 _She will not be if you keep asking_ was my reply.

It would definitely shut him up.

I turned off my phone just in case he called. Lighting my cig, I made my way downstairs. Paul stood up from his seat when he saw me. But my eyes were stuck to a figure standing by the glass door.

"You coming?"

She turned around. And in seconds, was by my side. The safest place she would ever be.

* * *

The flight to Havana was short. Soon after we landed, we went straight to the villa my father had owned since forever. The place was old and modest, nothing compared to my house in Tampa, but this was still beautiful.

I was watching her looking around in awe. Paul was taking our luggage upstairs, so it was just the two of us now.

"Do you like it?" by the look on her face I could tell she really loved it, but I asked anyway.

"Yes." She nodded her head before spun to me. "If I were you, I would never want to go back to Tampa."

I chuckled. True. I had thought about it too.

"We both know I can't."

"It sucks." She mocked.

I smirked. "Talk about priorities, _Bellissima_."

"And Tampa will be your—"

"Number one. Always."

* * *

Night went by. I did the usual thing, visiting my Cuban friends, overseeing the business and stuff. Just boring shit. Fucking tiring routine. But it had to be done.

I came home, didn't expect her to be awake. My girl was standing on our room's balcony, staring at the night.

"Hey."

She turned around.

"Hey."

"It's late." I said.

She walked inside, then. "I just, you know, can't sleep."

I locked the door then shrugging off my suit. "Sleeping problems." It was more like statement than a question. "Get a couple of pills if you want to."

"No, I'm good. Thank you for the offer, though." She replied bitterly.

I raised my eyebrow. Why was she so mad about that, huh? Not gonna lie here, but sometimes drugs just did the fucking job. The problem was we should know when to stop. I took my shoes off and unbuttoned my shirt while she pulled the cover and climbed to the bed.

"It'll help, you know." I said that only to tease her further. She barely looked up to me before turning off the bedside lamp.

I laughed because damn it, how could I not?

I showered then getting ready to bed. Bella had her back on me, but even in the dark I knew she hardly slept. I rested my head on the pillow next to her as she turned around, restless and wide awake.

"C'mere." I yanked her by her waist, but she resisted.

"Your hair's wet."

What?

"You'll make the pillow wet, the bed wet. I hate it."

Well, she never complained about it before.

"What else is wet?" I asked and she shut up. Her cheeks might redden a little, though. "Hmm?" I killed the gap between us so that I could whisper against her lips. "Tell me, baby, what else?"

She shook her head and I chuckled. My girl obviously felt my boner.

Then she faked a yawn. It just made me laugh harder. "You're mean."

"You're still the meanest of all." She pointed.

Was I?


	24. Chapter 24

_"_ _It's like heaven taking the place of something evil."—Lana_

* * *

EPOV

I spent the next three days showing Bella places that were worth to visit here, in Havana. She really loved it. Everything about the city. The scene, the people, the food. Looking at how her eyes lighted up every time we were strolling on new street, I wondered why she had not yet begged to stay a lil bit longer. I didn't blame her, though. This city was like a fresh breath of air for her. Because, well, we knew Tampa sure as fuck didn't leave that nice impression to her. If I were her, I would hate it with passion too.

Even though I totally enjoyed our time together, I admitted I felt a bit off lately. I tried to tell myself that I was exaggerating, but I knew I wasn't. Something wasn't right. But I couldn't figure out what. I had to ask Paul a hundred times a day about the business because where else this bad feeling came from, right? But, no. Nothing out of place. Paul had made sure of that. And Jamie, well, he got everything covered.

Soon as my guard was down, it hit us hard. When I thought everything was perfectly handled, the news broke. I almost wanted to kill someone the moment I heard it. What mistake did we do now? The shipment was gone wrong. Again. It was the second time in a fucking month, damn it. The cops had never made it this far before. Not since I took control the business. I didn't know either they grew smarter or we just became more careless. One thing obvious was this shit made me look like a complete idiot.

"How could this happen, J?!" I tried hard to tame my temper, but it was no use. My hand ran over my hair in frustration. This was disaster. We used to be untouchable.

"The fuck I know! It happened so fast, Edward." He yelled back. "Uley is behind it again."

"That persistent fucker." I cursed. "How many of us were killed?"

"Many. They are interrogating Jas and Em now. I know they won't talk shit, but still."

I knew what he was worrying about. Of course, the cops were trying to connect this with us. They just intended to get enough evidence. Those fuckers.

"Someone's providing the info for the cops." I stated, matter-of-factly. It had to be. There was someone talking behind our backs.

"Yeah, about that."

"Have you found the motherfucker?"

"No. Not a single fucking clue…" I wanted to yell at him to search harder when I sensed a 'but'. So, I kept my mouth shut and waited. "I don't know if I should mention this to you." He tsked, unpleased by what he was about to say next. "But some may think it's _your girl_."

And by some he meant Rosalie. Her father was once my father's _consigliere_. Now she thought she could play a wise adviser. I called that bullshit.

"What do you think?" I asked, inhaling deeply because somehow I needed his opinion.

He was silent for a moment before replied. "Nah. I trust her."

Hell, I did too.

* * *

My mind was at chaos. Thoughts jumbled and I began to doubt myself. This shit was confusing. But the more I was thinking about it, the more I was bothered.

Her? Really? Was that even possible?

"What's wrong?" she asked the other day when she caught me staring. Again. I had been watching her a lot lately for signs. Any signs to prove me right or wrong. I needed to know whether this suspicion shit was totally stupid.

"Nothing you should worry about." I smiled. But even she could see that it didn't reach my eyes.

"Business?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She ended it at that.

We stayed in Havana for another week to lay low, just in case. Jamie would arrive here tomorrow. Our fight was put behind, forgotten for a while. It wasn't the main focus now.

Later around midnight, I got out of the bed, leaving her naked form with the warm sheet and cold side. I grabbed my pajama pants and put it on. The scotch was needed in this type of time. I was restless to the point I wanted to sit her down and asked those fucking questions. I was a second away to lose my mind.

Paul was there, sitting on one of the couches with a book in hand when I made my way to the bar. He stood up immediately the moment he saw me.

"No. Don't bother. I just need a drink." I said, pulling out the bottle and poured the fluid to the glass. He sat back, but the book was put aside.

"You okay, Boss?" he asked after a pause.

I gulped down my drink before turned to him

"What do you think about this whole situation? Bella. What do you think about her? Give me your judgment." I didn't know why I asked him this. It wasn't like his opinion mattered. I usually believed what I wanted to believe. But now I felt like I wanted to hear him out. He had stood by my side for a long time.

"Is it about that…speculation?"

Everyone knew now because Rosalie apparently had a big mouth.

"Yeah."

He was hesitant at first. I thought he wouldn't answer, but he surprisingly did.

"Everything's possible. You demand privacy in your house, so the cctvs are just at some limited spots. Anything could happen. I wasn't always there to watch her, though." I wasn't gonna lie I really wanted to punch him when he talked about her like that. But the sanest part of me said that he was just being objective and honest. He sensed my temper, of course, because then he said. "Sorry, Boss. I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"No. It's okay."

It was clearly not, but I let it go.

* * *

"No way. This boy is loser. There's no way he's the one who fucks up my business." I scowled. Because, really? Embry Call? Was he even worth to mention? He was way too young, way too inexperienced. No chance in hell. He wouldn't have the guts.

Jamie looked like he agreed with me. We were in my office now. He just landed fifteen minutes ago. But fuck that, right?

"He's new in the crew and there's evidence—"

"False evidence." I rolled my eyes. "Uley leads you to him because he needs a pawn. Come on, J. You're better than that. This boy knows nothing. He shit his pants when he met me."

It was true. The theory was getting ridiculous.

"Why does Uley feel the need to use him as a pawn?" he frowned, didn't like the idea that we kinda messed up.

"To create chaos. I don't fucking know. Either that or to protect the real motherfucker."

I wanted to throw things right now. This shit didn't go anywhere.

"I bring him to Havana, though, just in case you want to interrogate him." He said, pulling out his cig to light one.

"Alright. We'll _talk_ to him tonight."

* * *

She got her hair loosely braided to the side and her favorite white dress on. I was taking her out for dinner. She looked beautiful, tempting. _A distraction_. I was angry for thinking about that, but it was like I couldn't help it. This shit really got into my mind. I didn't know how to say this without sounded like an asshole, but fuck. What if I put my trust wrong?

Dinner was the worst. Tensed, uncomfortable, awkward. You named it. It never happened before. I didn't even touch my food. She barely did, too. There was this heavy tension between us. Unspoken words. But I didn't want to start first. So she did.

"What's wrong?" it was a question I got used to hear. She had been asking it a lot lately.

We were staring at each other for a moment.

"Do you love me, _bellissima_?"

 _Love_. That word surprised her. Hell, it surprised me too. But I needed to see her reaction. To hear her answer. She had to convince me that this suspicion was nothing we should worry about.

She tilted her head. "Does it matter?"

"It does." I was staring at the storm behind those browns.

"Why?"

"Just wondering why you stay after all the shitty things I've put you through." That was harsh and I knew I was being an asshole. Again.

"You doubt me." She pointed out. Because she was clever like that.

The thought was eating me alive.

"Prove me wrong."

I really hoped she did.

* * *

The warehouse. Nothing good ever came from this place. I could tell Bella was uncomfortable. Because the last time she was here, she watched someone die. And the other time she was here, well, let's say it was always a bad memory.

Jamie was surprised when he saw her here. Those eyes narrowed as if asking me what the fuck I was thinking. I gave him a look. It was just not the right time.

"He's talking?" I asked instead. Even though I already knew the answer.

"No. He said he doesn't know anything."

Of course, he didn't. Like I assumed before, he was just a fucking pawn. That boy was too weak to become an undercover shit. Uley was definitely not working with him. If I were him, I would not, too.

"Let's make him talk." I said, making my way to one of the rooms in the basement.

Jamie glanced briefly at Bella. "She's coming with us?"

"Yeah." I warned him to shut up. And to stop playing a protective ass. That didn't fucking suit him.

He didn't say anything. But my cousin had known me for my whole life. He could sense I was planning something evil.

We walked in. Everyone in the room turned around. Embry was tied to the chair. And the poor boy looked like he was pissing his pants the second our eyes met.

"I swear I don't know anything, Boss! I swear!" he cried out all of a sudden like his ass was on fire. One of my men punched him in the stomach.

"How do you know Uley?" Jamie started, trying to dig the info.

The boy shook his head weakly. "I don't know him. I swear to God…"

I turned to Bella. She looked like she couldn't handle the sight.

"Do you know him, baby?" my question seemed to surprise everyone. Jamie was looking at me like I was crazy.

But she replied without missing a beat. "Not at all."

I chuckled because she was adorable. "Do you even know who I mean?"

She gestured towards Embry. "Him, right?"

"No. Not him. But Uley. Sam Uley. Do you know him?"

Her expression was hard to describe.

"No. Who is he?"

"Someone who's obsessed putting us in jail." Jamie replied for me as I took too long to answer.

My mind was busy thinking, trying to detect the lies. This one was pretty hard, though. God knows I could never be objective about it. In my eyes, she seemed cool. Normal. Real. No signs she was faking it. Faking all of this. Fuck. This was confusing as hell.

I cut whatever they were talking about.

"Do me a favor, _bellissima_?" she was now wary. Either at how cold my expression had become or at the gun that was being pulled out. But maybe it was just my next words. "Kill him for me?"

Jamie was ready to fight for her, of course. "Come on, brother. You don't have to do that. Let me take care of him." He nodded to Embry who was now pale as ghost.

"No one asks your opinion, J."

He glared at me.

"She was clueless about—"

"I want her to do it." I said firmly. Looking at her in the eye. Those browns gave nothing away. Again, hard to describe. One thing I knew I saw was a determination.

The silence was maddening.

But then, my girl held out her hand and said. "Okay."


	25. Chapter 25

_"_ _Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets rough I don't know why."—Lana_

* * *

EPOV

 _Previously…_

 _"_ _Do me a favor, bellissima?" she was now wary. Either at how cold my expression had become or at the gun that was being pulled out. But maybe it was just my next words. "Kill him for me?"_

 _Jamie was ready to fight for her, of course. "Come on, brother. You don't have to do that. Let me take care of him." He nodded to Embry who was now pale as ghost._

 _"_ _No one asks your opinion, J."_

 _He glared at me._

 _"_ _She was clueless about—"_

 _"_ _I want her to do it." I said firmly. Looking at her in the eye. Those browns gave nothing away. Again, hard to describe. One thing I knew I saw was a determination._

 _The silence was maddening._

 _But then, my girl held out her hand and said. "Okay."_

* * *

She was unusually calm I didn't know what to expect. I admitted I was quite surprised she really killed him and wasn't hysterical about it. The next thing I knew we were already on our way home like nothing happened.

As soon as we arrived, we ascended the stairs and went straight to the bedroom. Everything seemed _too_ normal to me. I was amazed by how well she took this.

"Do you trust me now?" she asked all of a sudden, finally filling the silence.

I stared hard and read her expression.

She didn't once look away.

"I do." I replied after a moment passed.

Her smile was cold and her eyes were distant. "You look unsure."

I did. She sensed my doubt right away.

"I have so much going on right now." I sighed.

She didn't say anything after that.

* * *

Something was off and I couldn't put a finger on it. This shit fucking stressed me out. We went back to Tampa because it was time to get everything under control. I evaluated it all. Swore to myself I wouldn't let the fucking traitor wander around the city unpunished. Fuck. Yet this shit led to nowhere. The fucker was totally invisible.

Bella was still bitter about that day though she didn't show it up much. I kinda felt sorry for her. I was such an asshole.

When I thought this couldn't get any worse, the cops decided now was the best time to raid my house. Fucking Uley. Talking about the fucking nerve. Saying they had all the fucking evidences about my involvement in some illegal dealings. How? That was still a mystery. The damages were already done even before we realized they existed. I didn't know whether we were just sloppy or someone had outsmarted us. But the world knows I was calculated as fuck. I had never missed a single thing. Until now. When it was all too late.

I was fucking arrested. It was a week after we all flied back to Tampa. I fucking let them handcuff me because I didn't want to take any risks. Uley didn't expect that we were doing it their way, but I didn't say I wasn't planning for his funeral, though. Everyone was questioned, but later released. I was the one only who was pressed charges. For now. I really fucking hoped they didn't have enough evidence to drag Jamie along. Because if they did, it was sure as hell would be the end of us.

Carlisle got me the best attorney, saying it would take a lot of time and effort to win this case. Like I didn't fucking know that already. Carlisle also said my father sobered up a bit and he helped them here and there about the business. Well, took you long enough, Pa.

Everyone in the family was cautious now.

Because one wrong step and it was over.

* * *

Two days since I was arrested, Jamie came bringing some bad news.

"Bella. She's gone."

* * *

"She's still missing." Jamie announced as he lit my cig. We paid enough to get the privacy we needed every time he visited. It was getting hard to calm my temper these days. And this was the last thing I wanted to hear.

Bella. She was nowhere to be found since this shit hit us.

I was silent because I didn't want to yell at him. He had no idea how much I wanted to kill someone right now.

"She's like…vanish. Just like that." He started again. "They probably have her." Those eyes looked tired and I couldn't help but wonder when the last time he was sleeping.

"We need to find her, J." I said. My jaw hardened. "Whatever it costs."

He nodded. "We will."

* * *

"No, they don't have her." Jamie said, straight to the point. Almost as if he could sense I didn't have any patience left. I really did not. With my trial coming up and all these crazy things that happened at once, how could I? Every week he gave me updates about her, but really, there isn't much. "And she isn't listed on witness protection program."

"You sure?"

He nodded. Hands deep in the pockets. "I have my insider."

"So."

"Pa said we should focus on your trial first."

Oh, now he wanted to boss me around?

I grabbed the collar of his shirt harshly. It took him by surprise because he definitely didn't see it coming.

"Find. Her." I clenched my teeth. "I don't want to hear your lame excuses anymore."

* * *

It had been months, but still nothing. Every night I was left here wondering where the fuck my girl might be.

* * *

"She's dead." I was staring straight ahead, taking a deep drag of my cig. Waiting for him to elaborate. "Bella Swan is dead, Edward." He added. Too calm for my liking.

I turned to him with cold eyes and stony face. Jamie looked like he had anticipated my reaction. Like he knew I was going to lose my shit at the news.

He handed me an envelope and I tore it open immediately. Inside there were some pictures of a girl that seemed foreign to me. She had a long hair and pale skin and slim body. That was all. The face didn't ring a bell. I didn't fucking know who she was.

"She died three years ago. Overdosed. Ran away from home six months before." He explained. "I traced all of the information about her, but it led me to a different Bella Swan." He pointed at the picture. "This is the real Bella Swan."

I closed my eyes briefly.

"Fuck."

"Your girl stole her identity."

Jamie was as stunned as me at the new fact he just found.

I wanted to throw things right now. This couldn't be true. Fuck. I felt like I was the most stupid person in the world. It all happened under my fucking nose for fucks sake. I, Edward Masen, was fooled by some old cliché trick. My ancestors would roll in their graves.

Everything she had done was a fucking fake show. And I fell for it. Hell, we all fell for it. She had been lying the entire time. Damn it, what was her fucking motive?

Everything clicked right away, then.

Jamie nodded his head when I came to realization.

"I promise you, brother. We will find her."


	26. Chapter 26

_"_ _Are you gonna tell me now? Are you gonna tell me later? Cause if you think that I don't know. I'm gonna have to say you're crazy."—Lana_

* * *

EPOV

It required me three years to be finally out of this hellhole. A long exhausting battle that was giving me more than high blood pressure and headache. I had never been this grateful that it was over. Thank God. Paul picked me up with a new Bentley I had never seen before, making me realize I had missed too many things in life. What the hell did you expect, fucker? The world stopped because yours did? As didn't make sense as it sounded, the thought angered me a bit.

"How are you, Boss?" he greeted, taking my belongings to put them in the trunk.

"Good." I nodded my head, didn't give anything else before sliding into the passenger door. He followed me suit after he's done and we drove away from this shitty place. Silence filled in. I was busy looking out the window watching everything pass by in blur. Just like memories about her existence. One thing I regretted was the fact I was the one who fucking messed up. Still, after all these years, I couldn't seem to get her off my mind completely. If I ever met her again, I didn't know whether I should kill her or hug her tight.

We arrived in my house hours later. I wasn't surprised to see my cousins there, sitting on the same couch with a huge ass grin on their face.

"Welcome back, asshole." Hailey got up and hugged me. I couldn't help but return the hug right away. When she pulled away, I could see how her eyes became a little wet. If the situation was different, I would probably laugh my ass off.

"Good to see you home, cousin." Jamie said, looking relieved as ever. I could notice how weary his face compared to three years ago.

"The business has tired you out, huh?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Very." He rolled his eyes, confirming my guess. With all of the problems in the past years, I had to give him credit for his hard work. He did better than I expected.

"At least you don't get yourself arrested." I uttered sarcastically. We all knew how I was so still bitter about it.

"That bitch! We fucking trusted her!" Hailey was furious. She befriended her after all. Of course, she felt like she had been deceived too. Well, we all did.

"You have an update?" I asked Jamie.

He looked doubtful for a moment.

"Just tell him, J." Hails said impatiently.

"I don't know if you want to hear this." He sighed. What the fuck did it mean? Of course, I fucking wanted to. Before I could yell it out loud, he added. "Isabella. Her real name is Isabella."

Okay?

"Doesn't ring a bell, huh?" Hailey crossed her arms against her chest while smiling wickedly. "How about Volturi?"

My eyes grew wide instantly.

* * *

In front of me laid the pictures of her. Bella. My Bella. They were taken on the same angle but were printed on several sizes. I stared at the most zoom out one. The one where she was seen crossing the busiest street in the big city. Dressing up in black from head to toe. Long black coat, black boots, black scarf and gloves. Then my eyes moved to another picture. Where her face was zoomed in and clearer. I didn't know how to describe it. She looked the same yet strikingly different. Her hair was two shades darker, her expression was colder, and her eyes. Her eyes were grim.

 _"_ _Remember Aro Volturi?" I replayed Jamie's words not even an hour ago._

 _My blood boiled as I heard the name._

 _"_ _How could I forget?" I retorted back through clenched teeth. Seriously, how could I? He was the fucker's uncle. The motherfucker that kidnapped my wife and daughter and killed them with no mercy. Aro, like a coward he was, fled out of country with his wife and children when I was doing massacre to his family._

 _"_ _Isabella is his daughter." Jamie added, earning a confusing look from me. As long as I remembered, he only had twins, Alec and Jane. "Not many people know about her because she's adopted. But she's infamous for doing his daddy's dirty works."_

 _"_ _That coward." I hissed._

 _Jamie agreed as much. "Now you know where she is. Just give me the order."_

My fingers unconsciously grazed her cheek on the picture. Fuck. I rubbed my chest, trying to ease the dull ache that wouldn't go away. Thank God, I was alone in my office right now because I didn't want anyone to see me this vulnerable. How could she even do it without her presence here? The hurt switched into anger. And instantly, the picture was crumpled in my hand.

* * *

Winter in New York was the worst. But it wouldn't feel that cold anymore because I was bringing hell to the city. Volturi had run their business in some parts of New York for a long time and Aro was the Don now because he was the remaining family member. He had lost some other area, though and New York Family wasn't as great as before. However, Hailey said it wasn't a wise choice for me to fly here. I rolled my eyes at that. How little faith you had in me, cousin. Our family wasn't weak. I was bringing at least ten men with me for fucks sake and we had paid a lot of money to the media so they could shut up about my release from the prison. Besides, as much as I enjoyed the thought of making Aro suffer, my main focus at the moment wasn't him. Bella was the reason I was here. She fucking owed me explanation.

The opportunity presented itself as she was seen entering some fancy restaurant in the heart of Manhattan. Which was such a coincidence because Jamie said she was rarely seen in public places. My men were spread across the street, ready to follow her anytime she left. But I was an impatient bastard. When one of my men informed me that she left her table and would likely go to the restroom, I didn't want to waste my chance. I entered the restaurant from the back door and swiftly maneuvered inside the restroom that, thank God, was empty. I stood behind the door with my gun at my side. The feel of that hard cold metal in my hand rushed the adrenaline in my blood, making me highly alerted.

The door was pushed open half a minute later. Somehow I knew she regretted her decision to come to the restroom as soon as she heard the click of shutting door. Because in the same fucking moment I appeared from behind her and pressed my gun against her head, making her stiffen. Our eyes met for the first time in years through the mirror in front of us. We were staring at each other like we just saw ghosts from the past. But she covered her surprise by a smile.

My face was stern.

"Give me one good reason to not kill you right now." The tone was pure acid, yet she was unfazed.

"Because you don't want to?" she questioned with a hint of playfulness. I pressed the gun a little harder and she laughed. "You don't change at all."

"Who the fuck are you?" my fingers dug into her arm, but she didn't even flinch. Almost as if she was numb to it. The girl in front of me was my girl back then minus the personality. It was frustrating to see them both melded into one person. Two different characters in the same body.

"You already know."

"Isabella Volturi."

"Names are just names, Edward."

"You fucking betrayed me." I gritted.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Don't give me that bullshit. You didn't even trust me."

"And I'm glad I didn't." I stated. Gloom clouded over her eyes for a second. But it was gone in a blink I wasn't sure I saw it right.

"You have to let me go. Alec is waiting for me." Her face was stoic now.

"Like hell."

"Then, do us a favor and kill me now." She said with bored tone. "You're wasting our time here." She added flatly.

"I don't want you dead yet." I hissed. Honestly, I didn't think I wanted her dead at all. Damn. I sounded so fucking pathetic, didn't I?

"I've warned you." She exhaled deeply before counting backwards. "Five…Four…Three…"

Just before I opened my mouth, there was a voice outside the door. "Isabella? You're there?"

"Just a moment, Alec!" she shouted back.

"What does take you so long?" he grunted impatiently.

I released her immediately and took a step back after weighing the options in hand. Bella turned around to face me and smirked before walking away in triumph. The grip on my gun tightened. I swore this was only the beginning.


	27. Chapter 27

EPOV

She disappeared. The traces of her were all gone. It almost felt like she was erasing her existence again. Carefully this time. I didn't say I didn't expect it, but hell. This still made me lose my mind. A part of me was screaming to let the fuck go. Deep down I just didn't fucking want to.

I didn't go back to Tampa, though. I knew I should, but I didn't. The business was the farthest thing on my mind right now. I hoped Jamie could handle that shit pretty well. Because here, I had had enough mess.

I stopped searching on third week since the last time I saw her. Chose to lay low in New Jersey. Spent my time enjoying the fresh air of freedom, pretending I was just a normal citizen. I worried less, stressed less. Still, she was in and out my mind often. I couldn't seem to forget completely. As if she wandered, no, lived in my unconscious state. Automatically. She was involuntary thought. The reason for my wide-awake and late nights drinking. I swore I had never sounded and looked this pathetic. Hell, I even had no shame in front of Paul anymore.

This was one of those nights. When I closed my eyes and I saw her, I knew I was fucked. So I decided to go out for a drink. Because I was going insane if I didn't. Paul was tailing me as usual. Hidden and keeping the distance. I sat on the bar and they served my scotch right away. No unnecessary conversation because they could tell I couldn't be fucking bothered.

I sipped my drink and found my peace. The seats beside me remained vacant until my third glass. My peace was disturbed when a familiar figure appeared out of nowhere. I glanced at said figure from the corner of my eyes. I fucking felt her before I saw her. My fingers curled around the glass tightly. For a second, I wish I was wrong despite my body reaction.

I was trying not to make a scene. She was aware I was struggling so she fanned the fire.

"I was in your place, but you were not there." She said melodically. I drowned the last gulp and slapped down the money to the bartender. I needed to get the fuck out of here before I strangled her. Forgetting the fact that she probably knew I rented a mansion here under someone else's name.

I walked away but she followed. She stopped me in my tracks by blocking my way. We were now outside on the very quiet street. Her hair was darker against the night. Her face was pale as porcelain. Unreadable mask was put on. I couldn't guess her intention, but I knew it couldn't be good. This girl only showed up when she wanted to be found. She was calculated, always doing something on purpose. Yesterday I wanted answers, but now I just didn't fucking know. One thing I was kinda late realizing was she wouldn't give anything unless she intended to. Jamie was right when he said I was wasting my time.

I stared blankly at her. My fingers twitched, itching to reach my gun. She blinked away her surprise and smiled.

"I spare my time to see you." The way she said it was like she just unveiled a secret.

Three weeks of searching tired me out. And the fact that I barely got a glimpse of information about her made the situation even worse. This shit involving her was always frustrating.

"Get lost." I replied flatly, stepping away from her and walking straight ahead. She inhaled sharply.

"Don't you want to hear me out?"

I wondered if it was just another manipulative game.

I didn't stop for a second and chose to ignore her. She was yelling warnings once, twice before I felt a sharp pain through my triceps. I cursed loudly then pulled out a small sleek knife covered in blood from my upper arm. How she could flick it on moving object was beyond me. Shit like this convinced me that I didn't really know who she was.

I spun around angrily. She was already there, standing right in front of me. I caught her wrist before her hand could make a contact with my chest.

"Don't you dare." I hissed venomously. But she was dealing with her own anger too.

"What? What will you do?" she challenged. Her eyes were fury.

I let her hand go with a push so it created more distance between us. "Something you'll regret."

She scoffed mockingly, taking a brave step forward. "Nothing I can't handle before."

Bitch.

Before I knew it, I had my fingers wrap around her neck. This girl didn't look surprised at all.

"You fucking betrayed me!" I yelled, unleashing my emotions at once.

She smirked despite the lack of breath.

"I…saved…you."

Her words were nonsense to me. But I released her before I could do more damages, pushing her away until she fell to the ground. This shit between us was toxic from the start. Just now I realized she could fight way harder, but she didn't because it was her way to redeem her mistakes.

I closed my eyes briefly and breathed deep. "What do you want?"

She finally took off the mask she was wearing. I was surprised to see the fear on her face and sorrow in her eyes.

"Take me away." Her voice trembled. "Far away from here."

* * *

I told Paul to prepare the jet and pack my shit. No question asked. At least not out loud. In his head was probably another story, though. I was sure he was questioning my sanity right now. After everything was taken care of—Paul had stitched my wound, thank God, because it stung like hell—we drove away to the airport. Except for the faint sound of radio, the car was very much filled by silence. The tension was palpable.

My phone was ringing as if to break the situation. Jamie's name blinked on the screen. I didn't answer. It wasn't the right time. And I was just not in the fucking mood. He called a few more times before giving up for good. By the time we arrived at the airport, it was almost three in the morning. I was so tired to the point I would crash.

The constant buzz on my phone told me I had messages. I didn't read it right away, though. I climbed up to the private jet, going straightly to the bedroom area. The chaos in my head became too loud. I wanted to close my eyes for a minute.

"I need to talk to you." She was standing in the doorway. Her eyes were unsure. But her steps were determined as she invited herself in.

"Can it wait?"

I turned around so my back was on her. I pulled out my phone and put it on the table.

"No."

I swiped up to see the text from Jamie.

The sound of the door shut closed was deafening.

My body tensed as I read his messages. As I realized the whole situation.

 _Aro is dead. So are his wife and the twins._

 _Where the fuck are you? Answer my call for fucks sake._

 _Tell me you're okay, fucker._

"Edward?" her calm voice took me back to the present.

I gripped my gun out of instinct.

I turned to her slowly. Heart beating against my chest, feeling the abrupt thrill of danger surrounding me.

Her coat was untied now, revealing a pale blue sweater beneath it which was painted by dry crimson red.

"What?" I looked up to her face, fully alerted.

Her lips curled into an evil smirk. She knew I knew.

"I killed them." She said rather blatantly. No trail of remorse showing. I watched her closely as she crossed the room, trying to remain unfazed as she stopped two steps away from me. "Do you want to know how?"

A deadly pause before I replied like a sick bastard I was. "How?"

She grinned wider. "I choked Jane to death. Shot Alec in his sleep. Overdosed Sulpicia. And Aro, well, I kinda stabbed him."

A smirk playing on my lips as I imagined things she had done. Nothing about her surprised me anymore. I wouldn't lie I kinda liked this new her. The real her. Apart of her fucking betrayal.

"Why did you kill them?" she titled her head as if the question was unexpected.

"Because I have to." I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate. "Aro wasn't going to stop until he got you."

"He already got me." I laughed humorlessly.

"Not completely."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think he sent me for, Edward?" I just opened my mouth before she cut in. "Putting you in jail? Don't be so naïve." She rolled her eyes. "I was sent to kill you."

Silence. It was maddening.

She was waiting for me to digest everything. But I still couldn't fully grasp the reality in front of me. What the fuck did she just say? Did I hear her right? My guard slipped and I was late to realize she had taken another step toward me.

"I had every chance, but I didn't." She whispered.

My mouth was dry. I really didn't know what to say. This new fact was kinda a shock for me. "Why?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. It's…confusing." It totally was. I knew because I fucking felt it too. "And I'm sorry." Her eyes diverted to another direction. "For giving you a lot of shit."

Anger overtook me all of a sudden. She had made me suffer all of these years. "So, you put me in jail to fucking save me? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"That was the best option I had."

My head boiled. How dared she?

"Fuck you." I spat. "I don't need a fucking hero here."

Her eyes flashed back to mine, leveling my own anger.

"I said I'm sorry!" she snapped.

"See yourself out."

She didn't have any of it. Her hands grabbed the front of my coat harshly.

"I have done everything for you." I felt myself soften a little, but my ego got the best of me.

"Well, I didn't ask you to."

Her palm made a contact with my cheek with full force. It was fucking hurt, I admitted.

"I fucking hate you." She hissed acidly before slamming the door open and exiting the room.

At least we both knew she didn't mean it.


	28. Chapter 28

**EPOV**

I walked back to seating area half an hour later. Bella had already settled on her seat with a blanket draped over her body. Those eyes were shut tight and she was still wearing the blood-stained sweater from her killing spree. I briefly glanced at Paul who sat two seats behind her. His guard was up, but the world knew he could turn blind and deaf when needed to be.

I sat in front of her, casually watching her as she was sleeping. Bella looked as beautiful as I remembered. Almost as innocent, but I knew better. For a moment I was just watching in silence. Her face was so peaceful and her body was relaxed. Well…it was until I ran a finger along her jaw. Hell, I couldn't fucking help myself. Her eyelids fluttered open immediately. She caught my wrist out of instinct.

I switched my expression. The softness in me was gone and forgotten. "Change your fucking clothes." I said coldly.

She glared at me. Her furry matched mine perfectly. "I will when we land."

"No. Change them now. I don't want to see you walking around my plane sporting their filthy blood." I said, leaving no room to argue. She rolled her eyes but getting up to her feet.

She walked two or three steps away from me before stopping and turning around as if she remembered something. "I don't have spare clothes." She told, more to herself.

"And I look like I fucking care?" I said like an asshole I was. She gritted her teeth. I smirked. Pushing her buttons was the last thing I could do to entertain myself. What? All these three years I had humored her life.

She charged at me like I knew she would. But right now I came prepared. I grabbed her hands before her claws got anywhere near me. She was pushing and pulling like crazy.

"What do you want? Spit it out!" she snapped.

"Will you give it, though?" she shot daggers at me. "Tell me, baby, how many men you fucked to get you to the top?" my heart was bitter, but I smiled wickedly just to get the reaction out of her. She didn't disappoint.

Her head collided with mine I saw white for a second. My grip on her got loose and she used this opportunity to hit me square in the jaw. I laughed humorlessly. I was a sucker for pain.

Her cheeks were red because of the anger. I just wanted to push harder.

"What? Did I say it wrong?" I dared her to deny it. I wanted her to scream that I was completely wrong.

She never did.

Her face was void of emotions. But those eyes. Those eyes were staring back with a deep emptiness. Now I wish I could take back my words.

"You can't forgive me." It wasn't a question. The remorse in her voice made me look away. I was ashamed of myself because, yes, I couldn't fucking forgive her. Ever. After everything that she had done to me, everything she had put me through. I just…couldn't. "You don't know how much I wish I could turn back time." She whispered to the silence.

My mind was a mess. Both of us were broken.

"What would you do?" I wondered. "If you could."

She shook her head, smiling sadly. "Probably run. What else should I do?"

I breathed deep, thinking it over. I couldn't forgive, but I also couldn't let her go. What a selfish bastard I was. It was like I wanted to push her away and pull her in at the same fucking time. This shit between us was insane, irrational. Damn it, I wish I could forget it all and move on.

"Come here." I said. She did. Without a word. I wrapped my arms around her. The movement surprised us both. God, I missed this. I missed her in my arms like this. She buried her face on my chest, sobbing quietly. I soothed her back, unconsciously kissing the top of her head softly.

"I…I'm sorry…for everything…"

"Let's start over." I said out of the blue. The idea sounded crazy, even to me. This would take time, but at least I wanted to freaking try. We should give us a second chance. "It will be hard for sure, but…" I just shrugged because I didn't know what else to say.

"I promise I'll do it right this time." She whispered. But I heard it clearly.

"I hope we will."

* * *

"Brother." Jamie greeted me with a big ass smile on his face which was soon vanished as he saw Bella descending the stairs. He didn't expect the storm I was bringing home. "What the fuck are you thinking?" he whisper-yelled.

"She's the one who killed them." I informed him straightforwardly.

"What?"

"Aro and his family. She's the one who killed them."

"Holy fuck…"

"I know, right?" he shut up because Bella reached the bottom of the stairs. I turned to her and gave a small smile. "Paul will take you home, okay? I have business to do." I said to her. She nodded and followed after Paul who was already walking to the waiting car.

"This is a fucking mess, Edward. They will know it's her." Jamie looked like he just got a headache.

"As if I don't know it." I scoffed. I had enough in my hand. He didn't need to remind me what I already knew.

"And what? You want to play protection program shit?" he asked in disbelief, trying to knock some sense to me. "Do you remember what she has done to us?"

Now I was the one who was getting a headache.

"She should be killing me, you know." I decided to tell. "Aro sent her to kill me." It shut him up for a moment. He was digesting it all. "I don't know what to do, J. But I can't fucking let her go." Shit, I sounded really pathetic, didn't I?

"Do you trust her?"

I shook my head. "Not completely."

"Hailey is going to plan a murder, you know?" his face was serious, but I laughed anyway.

"Bella can defend herself just fine."

"No. I'm talking about you."

* * *

It was past midnight when I got home. My footsteps echoed through the eerie silence. Bella was sitting at her favorite spot by the pool, staring at the gloomy sky. I walked to her like it was an instinct. Involuntary move. She turned her head to me when I reached her side. I offered my hand for her to take. She rose to her feet.

"You're freezing." I stated the obvious. She chuckled like it didn't matter.

"It's okay."

"Let's go inside." I insisted.

She did not argue. Which I was so grateful for.

I decided to make myself a coffee in the kitchen. My body felt so fucking tired. But after everything that happened in the last twenty four hours, I doubted I could ever rest peacefully. Hell, I was back only to bring more problems to home.

Silence for a full minute. Bella was standing by the window, facing the ocean. I poured some coffee and sipped. The hot liquid burned my tongue.

"They're coming." She said all of a sudden.

I paused and looked up. She turned to me. Her eyes were tired, but aware.

I couldn't pretend I didn't know what she was talking about.

"We'll welcome them." I nodded. Like it wasn't a big deal. When in fact, I could barely think.

She shook her head. "You don't understand. They want you for so long. They want Tampa. They want—"

"You underestimate me?" she didn't answer so I took that as a yes. "You think so little of me, _bellissima_."

"They will never stop until they kill us." She said rather blatantly.

I smirked. "Nah. Every single Volturi is a quitter." She opened her mouth to argue but I beat her to it. "They are just a bunch of pussies, Bella. All they'll do is sending people like you to fight their war.

It shut her up immediately. Of course. What was I thinking?

Hailey chose this moment to show up. To save the awkwardness that would definitely happen. My cousin barged into the room like she was planning a murder.

Then everything happened in a blink of an eye.

Hailey was inches away from Bella before I knew it. Hands flailing. Those claws almost scratched her face.

"You bitch! What the fuck are you doing here?"

I was fast to stand between them, pulling my cousin behind me. She rewarded me with a blow. In the fucking face.

"What the fuck."

"Are you fucking crazy, Edward? Do you forget what she did to our family?" she shouted it to my face. Damn it, did we have to have this conversation right now? At two in the morning?

"Hails." My tone was a clear warning. But she didn't seem to care.

"I don't want her here!" she yelled. I caught her wrists before she did anything stupid. "You bitch! How dare you! Do you have no shame at all?!"

"Stop it, Hailey." I hissed. She was getting on my nerve sometimes.

"She betrayed us!"

"I said stop!"

She shook her head like she couldn't fucking believe it.

"I don't trust her."

"Well, I don't need you to."


	29. Chapter 29

**EPOV**

They didn't come. I was more than prepared to give them hell yet none of them showed up. Bella was anxious. It was like she couldn't fucking sit still until every single Volturi died. She was over thinking it, always restless at night. Barely had any sleep.

This was one of those nights. The night when she had it the worst. But fuck, this shit had been going on for a fucking month.

I groaned and gave up. "Bella."

She was wide awake. Her eyes were staring at the ceiling above for a long minute before glancing at me.

"What do you think they're planning?"

I swore we had this conversation for a million times already. And I only closed my eyes for fifteen minutes for God's sake. Got home late because this kind of business was time-consuming.

"What are you so scared of?" I asked, couldn't hide the annoyance in my voice.

She turned to her side, facing me. Eyes narrowed. "I'm not scared."

"You are." I insisted.

"No, I'm not. I just…wonder."

I sighed. "There are sleeping pills in the drawer."

"I'm not taking those." She glared.

"Then do me a favor. Close your eyes and sleep." I draped my arm over my head. Damn it, I had to wake up early tomorrow. Only my father arranged a meeting at seven in the morning. My now very sober father. It was a curse and blessing that he was back on his game.

"I feel like they become more careful—"

"Sleep, Bella."

"They will—"

"Jesus." I hissed, rubbing my face in frustration.

"You don't take them seriously, Edward." I swore I also heard that line before. "Volturi isn't as weak as you think. They—"

My mouth crashing hers because I would definitely explode if she didn't shut up.

Her pupils dilated with surprise. I just crossed an invisible line that we placed between us. This kiss was the first in a long time. If it was a kiss at all.

"I said _sleep_."

She protested against my lips like I knew she would. I deepened the kiss instead. Because I couldn't fucking help it. And God, it brought back so many memories. Coming like a wave. The best ones and the fuck-ups. The mixed feelings. We were so good yet bad together. Heaven and hell.

Her lips tasted the same, but the feelings surrounding us were totally different. Foreign. We fell even deeper when I promised us a fresh start. Her lies I forgot. My mistakes she forgave. It was then I realized we completed each other. In every way.

My hand snaking around her waist, beneath the shirt she was wearing. Fingers trailing the line of her panties. Her palms against my chest. Soft lips, wild kiss. I yanked her closer. Clothes off. We were just skin. Her gasps when I pushed. So fucking tight around me. I pushed hard and pulled slow. Until she couldn't fucking take it anymore. Her two fingers in my mouth. Her moans against my ear. We didn't hold back. Noisy against the quiet night. And every time she came, I made sure the world know.

"That was…" She trailed off, coming down from the high. Sweat and short breaths, lying on her back. I bit her right tit until it turned red before pulling out of her completely.

"What?" I sat straight, grinning. She scoffed. But slowly, her lids closed. One thing never changed.

I rubbed her nipple between my fingers to keep her awake. She hissed and slapped my hand away. "Stop."

"Don't sleep."

"Why?"

"Baby."

"What?"

" _Be mine_."

"I'm already yours." She replied almost automatically, without thinking.

I chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes."

My girl was oblivious.

It was when I slipped a diamond on her finger, she really woke up. She looked at it and back at me. Eyes widened.

I kissed her knuckles and smirked. " _Be mine forever_."

* * *

Bella was nervous. It was almost amusing to see if the situation was different. She kept glancing at me, hesitant and unsure.

In front of us, Hailey looked like she was ready to wring her neck waiting our guard to slip off. While Jamie couldn't stop glaring at the diamond on her finger. It seemed like they didn't take this too well, but again, who was seeking their approval?

"Please tell me it's not what I think it is." Hails hissed.

I raised my eyebrow.

"You can't do this to us." She shook her head, trying to knock some sense to me. "You can't do this to our family. She can't be trusted."

Her words were going to deaf ears.

Jamie folded his hands on the table. He knew I wouldn't change my mind.

"When?"

I smirked at his unexpected question.

"Next week."

"What?!" Hails stood from her chair. I rolled my eyes. Always so dramatic.

"The timing sucks, Edward." Jamie said, trying to keep neutral face.

I shrugged. "That's all we got."

"Why are you rushing it? Wait, is she pregnant?" Hail's eyes accusing.

"God, no." Bella cut it before it got too far.

"No, she is not."

"Well, I object the marriage." She declared. Like it mattered.

I looked at her funny. As if she was just talking another language.

Jamie also didn't seem pleased but he was smarter. He knew he couldn't do much about it.

"Well, I think that's all." I said, dismissing them. It was my house after all.

Jamie reluctantly got up from his seat, dragging Hailey with him when she didn't move. She looked like she wanted to protest, but he silenced her with a look.

"They don't take it well." Bella said after they were out of sight.

I chuckled. "Does it matter?"

* * *

Father was calm when I told him I was gonna hold a wedding on my backyard. Seemed like the news had spread. I bet Carlisle and Esme already knew too. Hell, maybe the entire family. My father also didn't say anything insulting. Which was kinda surprising. I had expected, you know, some _wise_ advice from him. But nothing. He barely talked at all.

It was kinda frustrating. And I hated that I couldn't read him.

"Say something." I said finally after we were sitting for five minutes straight in silence.

He looked up from his paperwork as if he just realized I was in the same room.

"Congratulations." His tone was flat and lack of enthusiasm.

Of course. Him, too.

"Well, thank you." I replied sarcastically.

He was back to his work as I stood up.

When I reached the door, I heard him say. "If your mother was here, she would definitely kill you."

I smiled, thinking about her. "Nah, Dad. She would probably give me her blessings."


End file.
